.  V 


GIFT  OF 
Mrs.  A.   E.  Wishon 


DUCHESSE  IJUNGOULfiME,  10  YEARS  OLD. 


Pear  Culture  for  Profit, 


BY 


P.    T. 


NEW    EDITION, 

REVISED     BY     THE     A.UTHOB. 


NEW    YORK: 

ORAXGE    JUDD     COMPANY, 
1892. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  tlic  year  1383,  by  the 

ORANGE    JUDD    COMPANY, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


5/3  3^3 


CONTENTS. 


PREFACE ix 

INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER..       ad 

CHAPTER   I. 

VARIETIES 13 

A  complete  list  of  kinds 14 

Consult  the  fruit  merchant. 15 

Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society 16 

CHAPTER   II. 

ASPECT 17 

Shelter  an  orchard 18 

A  hedge  of  pears 19 

CHAPTER   IIL 

PREPARATION  OP  THE  SOIL 20 

Lifting  sub-soil  plow 21 

Laying  tiles 22 

Basement  story 23 

Alternate  freezing  and  thawing 24 

Trees  over-bearing 25 

CHAPTER   IV. 

DISTANCE  APART  IN  PLANTING 26 

Distance  between  rows 27 

Currants  may  be  planted 28 

Cropping  between  the  rows 29 

Distance  table 30 

CHAPTER   V. 

DWARFS  AND  STANDARDS.— SELECTING  TREES 31 

One-year-old  stock 32 

Tree  peddlers 33 

"  High-worked  "  trees 34 

One  thousand  Bartletts 35 

Unnatural  condition 36 

The  bark  louse 37 


M554847 


Ti  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VL 

TIME  OF  PLANTING 88 

Spring  and  fall  planting 39 

A  strict  record 40 

Sandy  soil 41 

CHAPTER   VII. 

PLANTING 42 

Slit  the  bark 43 

Each  layer  of  roots 44 

Careless  packing 45 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

DIGGING  TREES  FROM  THE  NURSERY  Row,  ANI>  PACKING 46 

An  unfortunate  tree 47 

Below  the  roots 50 

Packing  trees 51 

Imported  trees 52 

CHAPTER   IX. 

VABIETIES  TO  PLANT 53 

How  to  select  a  few  varieties 54 

Choice  kinds  of  pears 55 

A  list  of  varieties 56 

Doyenne  Boussock 57 

BeurrS  Clairgeau 58 

Fine  large  pears 59 

Amateur's  list 60 

CHAPTER    X. 

PRUNING 61 

Prune  to  induce  f ruitfulness 62 

The  time  of  budding 63 

An  upward  and  outward  growth 64 

Near  a  wood  bud 66 

Too  much  wood 67 

System  of  pruning 68 

An  unproductive  tree 69 

Promote  f  ruitfulness 70 

Summer  pruning 72 

Upward  and  outward 73 

Annual  crops 75 


CONTENTS.  Vll 


CHAPTER  XL 

MANURING  AND  MULCHING 76 

Ash  of  the  fruit 77 

Salt  and  lime  mixture 78 

Composting  manure 79 

Intelligent  pear  growers 80 

Liquid  manure 81 

Charcoal  bottoms 82 

Keep  the  surface  moist 83 

The  labor  saved . .  84 


CHAPTER  XII. 

GATHERING  FBUIT 85 

Pears  with  stems 86 

Fruit  room 87 

The  proper  date  of  ripening 88 

How  to  keep  pears 89 


CHAPTER   XIIL 

MARKETING  PEARS 90 

Careless  packing 91 

Dishonest  dealings 92 

Packing  pears  for  market 93 

Fancy  fruit  dealer 94 

Sending  fruit  by  railroad 95 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

PROFITS  or  PEAR  CULTURE 96 

Can  pears  be  grown  successfully  ? 97 

Educate  the  taste , 98 

New  York  market 99 

Sales  of  pears 100 

Prices  of  pears 101 

Sales  of  fruit 103 

Marketable  fruit 103 

Large  profit 104 

Many  drawbacks 105 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

PROPAGATION,  BUDDING  AND  GRAFTING 106 

All  new  varieties 107 

Pack  in  moist  earth 108 

How  to  fasten  a  bud 110 

Angers  quince Ill 

Worthless  varieties 112 

Inserting  cions 113 

Grafting  wax 115 

Vexatious  moments 116 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS 117 

Field  mice 118 

A  girdled  tree 119 

Keep  the  bark  clean 130 

Potash  wash 121 

The  blight 123 

Insects 123 

Curculio 124 

CHAPTER   XVII. 
ORCHARD  RECORD 125 


PREFACE. 


"  Pear  Culture  for  Profit "  when  first  issued  had  a 
hearty  and  cordial  welcome  from  practical  horticul- 
turists in  every  section  of  the  country.  The  chief  ob- 
ject of  the  author  was  to  give  plain  and  concise  di- 
rections to  beginners.  These  directions  were  at  va- 
riance with  many  of  the  theories  then  in  common 
practice,  but  they  were  mainly  drawn  from  the 
author's  experience.  It  is  gratifying  to  know  that 
there  is  a  steady  demand  for  this  little  book,  and  that 
the  Publishers  feel  warranted  in  issuing  a  new  and  re- 
vised edition. 

P.  T.  Qunra. 

NEWAEK,  N.  J.,  1883. 


(ix) 


INTRODUCTORY    CHAPTER. 


Since  the  first  appearance  of  "Pear  Culture  for 
Profit/'  there  has  been  a  great  change  in  public 
opinion  on  many  of  the  main  features  in  the  methods 
of  growing  pears  for  profit. 

The  business  has  settled  down  upon  a  more  solid 
basis,  and  exaggerated  statements  of  large  profits  on 
small  outlays  have  passed  away  from  the  minds  of 
those  who  have  followed  the  business  with  an  intelli- 
gent understanding.  Comparatively  few  varieties  have 
been  introduced  during  the  last  ten  years  that  have 
taken  a  prominent  position  among  the  established 
kinds  for  orchard  culture.  Hence  the  list  recommend- 
ed in  "  Pear  Culture  for  Profit"  is  to-day  as  good  and 
as  popular  as  when  the  book  was  first  published. 

Among  the  promising  sorts  now  on  trial  is  the 
"  Souvenir  de  Congress"  and  "Quinn,"  and  one  of  the 
most  showy  and  worthless  is  that  over-praised  pear 
known  as  the  "  Keifer,"  or  "  Keifer's  Hybrid." 

The  matter  of  growing  pears,  either  for  pleasure  or 
profit  has,  of  late  years,  been  divested  of  many  of  the 
whimsical  fancies  and  impractical  theories  which  were 
fastened  to  it  for  many  years  during  what  might  be 
termed  its  infancy  in  this  country.  Like  all  other 
branches  of  productive  industry,  time  and  experience 
are  sure  cures  for  many  of  the  wild  and  unfounded 
statements  which  find  their  way  into  print,  and  are  so 
likely  to  mislead  the  novice  and  to  injure  the  cause  of 
(xi) 


Xii  IKTBODUCTION. 

horticulture.  The  subject  of  growing  pears  as  an  in- 
vestment for  capital,  with  the  object  of  making 
money — that  is,  of  receiving  a  fair  compensation  in 
the  way  of  returns — is  the  form  in  which  the  subject 
presents  itself  to  the  minds  of  those  who  have  been 
close  observers  of  what  has  been  accomplished  in  pear 
growing  during  the  last  dozen  or  fifteen  years.  The 
days  of  wonderful  yield  of  fruit  from  trees  planted 
only  three  or  four  years,  with  fancy  prices  for  every 
specimen,  are  numbered  among  the  things  of  the  past. 
The  subject  has  been  thoroughly  divested  of  all  ex- 
traneous matter,  and  is  now,  as  it  ought  to  have  been 
years  ago,  judged  by  the  rules  of  common  sense.  Ex- 
perience, a  safe  but  an  expensive  teacher,  has  effec- 
tually cured  many  of  the  fallacies  which  misled  almost 
every  one  who  attempted  pear  growing  twenty-five 
years  ago.  Many  of  those  early  beginners  have  lived 
to  see  their  fond  hopes  blasted  and  their  anticipated 
profits  dwindle  down  to  nothing,  with  a  total  loss  of 
capital  and  interest.  But  now  there  is  no  excuse  for 
any  intelligent  person  who  makes  such  gross  mistakes. 
From  year  to  year  these  errors  have  become  more 
glaring,  until  at  this  time  he  who  blunders  must  be 
blind  to  the  events  which  have  taken  place  in  almost 
every  section  of  this  country  where  pears  can  be  grown. 
Consumers  of  the  fruit  have  so  classified  varieties  that 
it  is  no  longer  a  question  of  doubt  which  are  the  most 
popular  sorts  in  market.  The  question  of  popularity 
is  an  important  one  for  those  about  to  embark  in  the 
business  of  pear  growing  for  profit.  The  vigor  of 
growth,  or  the  prolific  bearing  of  a  variety,  is  of  small 
moment  for  those  who  invest  money  in  this  branch  of 
business.  If  the  sort  is  not  known  or  popular  in 


INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTER.  Xlll 

market,  it  would  be  folly  to  persist  in  growing  it.  The 
desire  to  educate  public  taste  in  the  choice  of  varieties 
is  laudable,  but  it  is  usually  a  thankless  and  unprofit- 
able task.  With  these  few  preliminary  remarks,  the 
point  is  reached  where  the  question  naturally  suggests 
itself  : 

CAN    PEARS    BE    GROWN    WITH    FAIR    PROSPECTS    OF 
PROFIT  ? 

If  so,  by  what  rules  should  the  beginner  be  governed 
in  the  start?  There  seems  to  be  a  settled  belief  (and 
that,  too,  well-founded),  that  with  a  fair  knowledge 
of  the  business,  and  this  knowledge  guided  by  common 
sense,  pears  can  be  grown  with  a  flattering  prospect  of 
getting  in  due  time  a  handsome  return  on  the  outlay. 
In  the  early  stages  of  the  growth  of  any  business,  ex- 
travagant methods  of  preparation  are  very  likely  to  be 
recommended.  This  has  been  strikingly  so  with  pear 
culture  in  this  country,  and  much  has  been  expended 
on  trenching,  thoroughly  underd  rain  ing,  and  subsoil 
plowing.  These,  of  course,  are  all  very  well,  and  add 
to  the  productive  capacity  of  the  soil.  But  they  are 
very  expensive,  and  in  many  instances  the  outlay  of 
money  is  useless.  There  are  some  garden  spots  where 
such  improvements  may  be  necessary,  but  where 
orchard  culture  is  intended,  the  matter  should  be 
seriously  considered  before  going  to  such  heavy  ex- 
pense as  this  preparation  requires. 

THE   SOIL   REQUIRED. 

A  pampered,  rich  soil  to  start  with  is  not  essential 
to  sueeessf  ul  pear  growing.     Any  piece  of  ground  that, 


xiy  INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTER. 

with  good  culture  and  care,  will  yield  sixty  to  seventy 
bushels  of  shelled  corn  to  the  acre,  or  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  bushels  of  Irish  potatoes,  will  be 
found  rich  enough  for  pears.  When  the  trees  receive 
the  same  attention  that  good  farming  calls  for  in 
raising  corn  or  potatoes,  they  will  grow  as  freely  and 
be  as  responsive  as  either  of  the  crops  named,  and 
make  all  the  wood  that  is  desired  for  their  welfare. 

TOO   MANY   VARIETIES. 

Another  gross  and  expensive  mistake  usually  made 
by  beginners,  is  that  of  planting  too  many  varieties. 
This  error  is  one  of  the  most  common,  and  one  that 
every  one  regrets,  when  time  shows,  as  it  surely  will, 
its  character  and  cost.  In  an  orchard  of,  say,  five 
hundred  trees,  there  should  not  be  less  than  one  hun- 
dred of  each  variety,  and  he  who  follows  this  plan 
will  have  good  reason  to  be  thankful  when  his  trees 
come  into  bearing,  provided  he  selected  those  sorts 
adapted  to  his  soil  and  the  wants  of  the  consumer. 
It  is  much  easier  and  more  profitable  to  find  market 
for  one  hundred  barrels  of  any  well-known  variety, 
than  to  sell  ten  barrels  each  of  ten  varieties.  It  is 
well  enough  for  amateurs  to  test  new  sorts,  but  those 
who  embark  in  the 'business  as  an  investment  and 
for  profit,  should  limit  their  number  of  varieties  to  as 
few  as  possible,  not  to  exceed  six  in  the  start. 

DWARF   PEAR   TREES. 

Another  and  still  more  fatal  mistake  is  that  of 
planting  dwarfs  instead  of  standard  trees  for  orchard 
culture.  The  very  lame  and  deceptive  inducement 


INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTER.  XV 

that  dwarfs  bear  fruit  in  two  or  three  years  from  the 
time  of  planting,  is  a  seductive  one  to  the  unwise, 
and  one,  that  if  carried  out,  is  almost  certain  to  result 
in  failure.  The  first  important  point  to  be  gained  in 
starting  a  young  pear  orchard  is,  to  secure  a  strong 
healthy  growth  of  trees,  so  that  when  they  do  begin 
to  bear  fruit,  they  will  be  vigorous  enough  to  carry 
the  crop  through,  without  injury  or  checking  the 
growth  of  wood.  It  is  of  vital  importance  to  get 
vigor  of  growth  and  surface,  before  full  and  paying 
crops  of  pears  can  be  raised.  It  is  a  gross  and  irre- 
parable error  to  permit  pear  trees,  which  have  been 
planted  only  two  or  three  years,  to  bear  fruit;  practi- 
cal growers,  who  have  an  eye  for  profit,  will  not  coun- 
tenance such  a  suicidal  course.  When  this  deceptive 
doctrine  of  early  bearing  is  taken  away  from  dwarfs, 
nothing  else  can  be  said  in  their  favor  for  orchard 
culture,  while  there  are  many  good,  sound  reasons 
why  they  should  not  be  planted  in  the  orchard.  There 
is  not  a  single  variety  of  pear  that  will  not  do  equally 
as  well  as  a  standard,  and  at  the  expiration  of  twelve 
or  fifteen  years  from  the  time  of  planting,  one  good 
standard  is  worth  a  dozen  of  dwarfs.  The  argument, 
if  such  it  can  be  termed,  that  when  dwarfs  are  planted 
deep  enough  they  will  in  time  become  standards,  is 
answered  by  saying  :  why  not  plant  standards  to  begin 
with,  and  avoid  the  risk  and  uncertainty  in  getting 
standards  in  this  roundabout  way,  when  there  is  a 
shorter  and  more  simple  course  to  attain  the  same 
end  ?  With  twenty  years  of  experience  in  growing 
pears  for  market  (and  in  1881  my  crop  amounted  to 
eighteen  hundred  bushels),  I  am  firmly  convinced  that 
if  I  were  about  to  plant  another  pear  orchard,  and 


XVI  INTRODUCTORY    CHAPTER. 

could  get  dwarfs  for  nothing,  and  had  to  pay  fifty 
dollars  psr  hundred  for  standards,  I  would  not  hesi- 
tate a  moment  to  choose  the  latter.  This  conclusion 
has  been  reached  by  an  extended  experience  with 
dwarfs  on  my  own  place,  and  confirmed  by  what  I 
have  seen  in  different  sections  of  this  country  and  in 
Europe,  wherever  pears  are  grown  to  any  extent  out- 
side of  the  garden. 

I  am  now  convinced  that  even  the  "Duchessed' 
Angouleme "  will  do  much  better  as  a  standard  than 
as  a  dwarf.  This  was  the  only  exception  I  made  when 
"  Pear  Culture  for  Profit "  was  originally  published. 

RETARDING. 

Each  succeeding  years'  experience  demonstrates  be- 
yond doubt  (if  there  was  a  question  of  doubt  in  any 
man's  mind),  that  those  who  desire  to  reap  the  largest 
profits  from  pear  growing,  must  provide  ways  and 
means  of  holding  back  a  portion  of  their  crop  of 
Bartletts;  in  fact  of  all  the  varieties.  If  proof  is 
needed  on  this  point,  it  is  only  necessary  to  state  as  a 
fact  that  in  the  middle  of  September,  1881,  Bartlett 
pears  of  the  first  quality  were  selling  in  open  market 
for  a  dollar  a  bushel.  A  month  later,  from  the  mid- 
dle to  the  end  of  October,  Bartletts  of  the  same  size 
and  quality  brought  from  two  and  a-half  to  three  dol- 
lars per  bushel,  and  sold  faster  than  before.  This 
year's  experience,  showing,  as  it  does,  the  advantages 
of  holding  Bartletts  back  until  the  end  of  October, 
or  early  November,  is  not  an  isolated  instance,  and 
those  who  have  practised  this  plan  have  been  compen- 
sated in  about  the  same  ratio  for  the  past  six  or  eight 


INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTER.  XV11 

years.  If  peaches  had  been  plenty  last  year,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  Bartletts  would  have  sold  for  a  song  in 
the  height  of  the  season.  There  is  no  question  but 
that  the  supply  is  more  than  the  demand  required ; 
unless  the  season  of  marketing  can  be  lengthened  by 
artificial  means.  The  Bartlett  is  the  most  popular 
pear  grown,  but  as  every  practical  man  knows,  it  is 
tender,  has  a  short  season,  and  needs  very  careful 
handling,  much  more  so  than  any  other  fall  variety 
grown  for  market.  The  best  and  most  economical 
method  of  keeping  pears  is  still  a  mooted  question, 
even  among  those  who  have  been  experimenting  for 
the  last  half  dozen  years  with  retarding  houses.  There 
are,  to  my  own  knowledge,  a  dozen  houses  of  different 
plans  in  operation  for  this  purpose,  and  yet  no  one 
seems  entirely  satisfied  with  the  keeping  qualities  of 
houses  of  either  plan. 

Whatever  style  of  retarding  house  may  be  con- 
structed to  keep  Bartletts  and  other  varieties,  the 
temperature  must  be  maintained  below  37  degrees,  in 
order  to  keep  them  from  ripening.  This  is  one  of  the 
important  facts  now  regarded  as  settled.  Another  is, 
that  the  fruit  must  be  sound  when  put  in  the  house,  and 
another,  that  ice  is  the  best  medium  for  keeping  the 
temperature  down  to  the  conditions  named.  My  own 
retarding  house  is  a  wooden  structure,  with  double 
walls  and  roof,  with  a  space  of  eighteen  inches  from 
the  outer  to  the  inner  walls.  This  space  is  packed 
very  firmly  with  fine  sawdust.  The  ice  is  stored 
above  the  fruit  room,  which  has  a  capacity  of  seven 
hundred  bushels.  The  fruit,  which  is  always  hand- 
picked,  is  put  in  bushel  boxes.  These  full  boxes  are 
stored  in  this  cool  room,  until  such  time  as  it  is  de- 


XV111  INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTER. 

cided  to  market  the  pears.  They  are  taken  out  of 
the  ice-house  and  kept  in  an  ordinary  fruit  cellar  for 
four  or  five  days,  before  sending  them  to  market. 
When  the  temperature  is  kept  as  stated,  below  37 
degrees,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  keeping  the  fruit  in 
perfectly  sound  condition,  as  long  as  it  is  best  to  do  so. 

FIRE   BLIGHT. 

The  most  disheartening  feature  of  pear  growing  is 
the  destructive  ravages  of  what  is  called  "  fire  blight." 
The  age  and  vigor  of  the  tree  has  no  effect  in  warding 
off  this  dangerous  enemy.  It  comes  and  destroys 
without  warning;  the  first  intimation  the  owner  has, 
is  seeing  the  leaves  suddenly  turn  brown,  and  the 
next,  that  a  branch,  or  a  half-dozen  branches,  on  the 
same  tree,  are  dead.  Up  to  this  time  there  is  no 
remedy  against  the  disease.  In  my  own  orchard,  the 
blight  has  had  its  favorite  sorts.  The  varieties  that 
have  suffered  most  from  blight  are  the  "  Glout  Mor- 
ceau,"  "Vicar  of  Winkfield,"  "Flemish  Beauty," 
"Beurre  Diel,"  "Belle  Lucrative,"  and  "Swan's 
Orange,"  and  in  the  order  named.  There  has  been  no 
loss  of  trees  or  part  of  trees  in  my  orchard  of  "  Duch- 
esse  d'Angouleme,"  "  Bartlett,"  "  Beurre  d'Anjou," 
"Seckel,"  or  "Doyenne  Boussock,"  although  I  have 
seen  some  of  these  attacked  in  other  localities.  Some 
ten  or  twelve  years  ago  I  planted,  and  grafted  on 
healthy  trees,  the  Japan  Pears,  seedlings  of  the  Chi- 
nese Sand  Pears.  These  sorts  have  all  the  traits  of 
their  parent,  in  vigor  of  growth  and  rank  foliage, 
which  for  brilliancy  of  color  in  the  fall  equals  the  Eed 
Maple;  they  are,  besides,  prolific  bearers.  The  fruit 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

appeared  to  be  proof  against  insects,  while  the  growth 
and  habits  of  the  trees  seemed  to  defy  an  attack  from 
any  source.  My  plan  was  to  propagate  these  varieties 
and  graft  the  slower  growing  sorts  on  them,  and  in 
this  way  get  a  more  vigorous  growth  of  wood,  and 
possibly  a  larger  fruit  of  the  sorts  like  the  Seckel. 
Until  last  year  I  had  no  reason  to  doubt  that  those 
Japan  pears  were  blight  proof.  But  now  I  have  good 
reason  to  think  differently.  The  fire  blight  struck 
these  trees  last  summer,  and  what  is  unusual,  it  de- 
stroyed every  branch  and  twig  of  several  large  trees, 
not  leaving  me  a  living  sprig  of  wood  to  propagate 
from.  This  wholesale  destruction  of  these  kinds  is 
more  curious,  because  we  had  only  one  more  instance 
in  the  orchard  during  the  year,  and  that  was  a  couple 
of  large  branches  on  a  "Swan's  Orange"  tree  in  a 
distant  part  of  the  orchard.  This  experience  settles 
the  question  in  my  own  mind  that  it  is  folly  to  assert 
that  the  Chinese  Sand  Pear,  or  seedlings  from  it,  are 
blight-proof,  for  the  instances  stated  above  prove  to 
the  contrary. 


PEAR  CULTURE  FOR  PROFIT. 


CHAPTER  I. 

VARIETIES. 

THERE  are  comparatively  few  varieties  that  are 
suited  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  unnecessary 
expense  and  disappointment  have  been  incurred  from 
the  planting  of  those  varieties,  which  have  given  en- 
tire satisfaction  in  one  locality,  while  in  other  places 
they  have  failed  to  give  good  results.  This  is  owing 
to  several  causes,  and  in  some  instances,  is  almost^ 
unaccountable ;  but  in  most  cases,  the  differences  of 
climate,  exposure  and  soil,  bear  a  marked  effect  on  the 
quality  and  productiveness  of  the  tree.  The  thorough 
preparation  of  the  soil  before  planting,  has  a  great 
deal  to  do  with  the  future  welfare  of  the  tree.  This  is 
more  especially  true  of  clay  soils,  retentive  of  mois- 
ture. Under-draining  is  necessary  in  such  situations. 


14:  A   COMPLETE   LIST   OF   KINDS. 

To  remedy  the  injurious  effects  and  prevent  a 
continuance  of  this  needless  expense  to  the  planter, 
chould  be  sufficient  inducements  for  establishing  hor- 
ticultEral  societies  in  every  town  ;  these  societies  to  co- 
operate with  each  other  through  the  medium  of  Coun- 
ty, State  and  National  Pomological  Societies.  In  this 
way  more  useful  and  definite  information  would  sOon 
be  obtained.  The  town  societies  should  discuss  free- 
ly at  their  meetings  the  merits  and  demerits  of  the 
different  varieties,  and  their  adaptability  to  certain 
localities.  A  very  complete  list  of  kinds  suited  to 
particular  localities  and  climates,  could  soon  be  ar- 
rived at.  This  would,  in  the  course  of  a  fow  years, 
enable  parties  to  make  a  better  selection  cf  fruit, 
and  much  uncertainty  that  now  exists  would  be 
avoided.  There  has  been  much  accomplished  by  a 
few  energetic  societies,  but  there  is  still  a  wide  field 
for  improvement.  I  am  constantly  asked  :  "  What 
kinds  shall  I  plant  for  table  use,  and  what  kinds  for 
market  ? "  These  are  difficult  questions  to  answer, 
when  it  13  well  known  that  we  have  only  a  few 
varieties  that  succeed  well  in  all  localities.  The 
Bartlett,  Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  Seckel  and  Yicar 
cf  AYinkfield,  with  a  few  others,  are  favorably  known 
in  nearly  every  locality,  and  do  well  in  most  situa- 
tions ;  but  people  want  a  more  extended  list  of 
varieties,  and  in  many  cases  they  have  repented  .of 


CONSULT    THE    FRUIT    MKRCHAXT.  15 

increasing  their  number  beyond  six  kinds.  I  can 
speak  from  experience  on  this  point,  and  I  freely 
confess  that  my  desire  to  have  fifty  varieties,  instead 
of  six,  for  market  purposes,  has  been  a  loss  to  rne  of 
several  thousand  dollars.  The  Flemish  Beauty,  that 
does  so  well  in  many  parts  of  the  Eastern  States,  in 
the  clay  soils  of  lN~cw  Jersey,  is  unworthy  of  a  place 
among  the  list  for  market.  The  same  is  true  of  Eas- 
ter Beurrc,  Beurre*  Dicl,  Swan's  Orange  and  Louise 
bonne  de  Jersey,  and  a  host  of  other  varieties,  that 
a  few  years  ago  were  considered  profitable  market 
kinds,  still  I  am  compelled  to  abandon  their  culture, 
owing  to  their  unreliability  in  the  orchard.  Again, 
a  person,  before  selecting  his  list  of  varieties,  should 
consult  the  fruit  merchant,  and  learn  of  him  the 
kinds  that  are  in  demand.  For  instance,  the  Belle 
Lucrative,  a  variety  that  I  consider  second  to  none, 
in  vigor  of  growth,  productiveness  and  quality  of 
fruit,  is  quite  unsaleable  in  the  New  York  market, 
because  it  is  not  known  to  consumers.  For  the  past 
three  years  I  have  sold  them  for  less  than  half  what 
Bartlctts  brought,  although  in  quality  the  latter  are 
much  inferior  on  our  soil. 

The  horticultural  societies  throughout  the  coun- 
try have  done  and  are  doing  great  injustice  to  the 
public  by  offering  large  premiums  for  the  greatest 
number  of  varieties,  and  then  permitting  those  to  bo 


16  PENN.    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

included  which,  for  years,  have  been  discarded  as 
worthless  for  amateur  or  market  purposes.  Persons 
not  familiar  with  the  different  varieties,  seeing  these 
on  the  show-table,  are  quite  as  likely  to  purchase 
them,  as  they  are  those  which  have  been  fully  tested 
and  found  worthy  of  cultivation.  "Why  this  practice 
of  putting  poor  kinds  on  the  table  is  permitted  to  go 
on,  year  after  year,  I  cannot  tell,  although  every  one 
conversant  with  fruit  will  admit  it  is  wrong,  and 
calculated  to  lead  the  public  astray  in  making  se- 
lections. For  some  years  the  Pennsylvania  Horti- 
cultural Society  has  followed  a  far  better  system,  in 
the  manner  of  awarding  its  premiums.  At  its  regular 
exhibitions,  premiums  are  offered  for  single  plates  of 
approved  kinds,  instead  of  foolishly  throwing  away 
money,  and  misleading  the  public,  by  offering  sums 
for  collections.  By  this  simple  method,  practical 
growers  are  brought  into  fair  competition  with  other 
growers,  and  he  who  is  in  search  of  information,  can 
get  at  facts  valuable  to  him  as  a  beginner.  I  am 
glad  that  many  other  societies  are  adopting  this  plan, 
and  ere  long,  it  is  .to  be  hoped,  the  system  will  be- 
come general. 


CHAPTEK  III. 

PREPARATION    OF    THE    SOIL. 

A  thorough  preparation  of  the  soil  before  plant- 
ing is  positively  necessary,  to  insure  success  with  the 
pear,  and  until  the  soil  is  in  a  condition  to  allow  the 
"  rains  and  dews  to  enter,  pass  through  and  out  of 
it,"  in  as  short  a  time  as  possible,  the  cultivation  of 
fruit  cannot  be  brought  to  the  highest  point  of  profit. 

On  clay  lands,  or  sandy  soil  with  a  retentive  sub- 
Boil,  under-draining  is  the  first  step  towards  accom- 
plishing the  right  condition.  This  should  be  done 
at  least  a  year  before  the  trees  are  planted.  There 
is  a  prevalent  opinion  in  the  minds  of  many  farmers, 
that  under-drains  are  only  wanted  to  carry  off  the 
excess  water ;  but  this  is  only  one  of  their  offices. 
Another,  and  very  important  one,  is  to  aerate  the 
soil ;  in  other  words,  the  drains  open  the  way  for  the 
atmosphere  to  circulate  freely  through  the  soil,  carry- 
ing with  it  gases  which  cause  many  chemical  changes 
to  take  place  that  will  benefit  the  growing  plants. 
At  the  present  cost  of  labor  and  material,  under- 
draining  will  prove  to  be  an  expensive  operation,  but 


18  SHELTER   AN    ORCHARD. 

the  alternate  freezing  and  thawing,  that  prove  so 
fatal  to  young  trees  in  many  sections  of  the  West. 
There  is  no  advantage  in  ripening  pears  early ;  in 
fact,  there  is  a  disadvantage,  for,  if  the  Bartlett  and 
Belle  Lucrative  are  on  a  southern  exposure,  they  are 
ready  for  market  at  a  time  when  peaches  and  black- 
berries are  in  abundance,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
they  have  to  be  sold  at  a  much  lower  price  than 
when  peaches  and  berries  are  disappearing.  This  is 
also  true  of  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme.  In  the 
early  part  of  October,  pears  of  this  variety  frequent- 
ly sell  from  $8  to  $12  per  barrel,  while  in.  Novem- 
ber, prices  advance,  and  it  is  not  unusual  to  get  from 
$20  to  $30  per  barrel  for  the  same  quality  of  fruit. 

To  shelter  an  orchard  from  the  prevailing  wind, 
is  often  more  important  even  than  the  aspect ;  for 
pear  trees,  especially  when  heavily  laden  with  fruit 
and  exposed  to  a  wind  storm,  will  suffer  more  injury 
from  being  shaken,  than  from  an  ordinary  late  frost. 
When  the  location  is  selected,  if  no  natural  protec- 
tion exists,  it  is  better  to  plant  rows  of  some  rapid 
growing  evergreens — such  as  the  White  Pine,  Nor- 
way Spruce,  or  American  Arbor  Yitae — every  twen- 
tieth row,  close  enough  to  form  a  complete  hedge  in 
a  few  years.  This  will  prove  ornamental  and  useful. 
The  evergreens  should  be  planted  in  lines  parallel 
vrith  the  pear  rows,  and  they  will  more  than  pay  for 


A   HEDGE    OF   PEARS.  19 

the  ground  they  occupy  in  protecting  the  fruit  trees 
from  heavy  gales. 

To  carry  out  this  plan,  in  a  more  profitable  way, 
I  have  planted  a  row  of  tho  Bcurre  d'Amalis  pears, 
a  strong  growing  variety,  four  feet  apart,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  forming  a  hedge  or  screen.  It  has  answered 
a  double  purpose,  yielding  a  crop  of  fruit  and  also 
protecting  tho  trees  in  the  orchard,  for  some  distance 
south-cast  of  it,  from  the  wind  storms.  I  am  very 
well  pleased  with  the  result  so  far.  The  young 
shoots  were  interlaced  each  year,  and  in  five  years 
from  the  time  of  planting,  they  formed  a  barrier 
seven  feet  high,  besides  giving  an  average  crop  of 
fruit  for  the  past  three  years. 

Another,  and  an  excellent  plan  for  protecting  the 
trees  in  the  orchard,  is  to  plant  a  row  of  peach  trees, 
ten  feet  apart,  in  the  most  exposed  part.  The  peach 
is  a  rapid  grower,  and  for  four  or  five  years  will 
serve  a  good  purpose,  when  they  can  be  removed 
and  another  row  planted  in  another  position.  I 
have  had  enough  fruit,  in  this  way,  to  pay  the  ex- 
pense of  buying  the  trees  and  labor  incident  to 
planting. 


CHAPTEE  H. 

ASPECT. 

VARIOUS  opinions  are  held  concerning  the  most 
appropriate  site  for  a  pear  orchard.  Many,  believing 
that  they  avoid  the  danger  of  late  or  Spring  frosts 
injuring  the  blossoms,  prefer  a  northern  exposure. 
Others  choose  a  southern  or  south-western  exposure. 
My  own  opinion,  founded  on  long  experience,  is  in 
favor  of  a  north-eastern  aspect,  on  rising  ground. 
There  is  but  little  to  be  feared  from  late  frost  on 
high  or  rising  ground,  and  it  is  quite  unusual  to 
have  a  severe  frost  when  the  pear  is  in  blossom. 

At  our  farm,  near  Newark,  New  Jersey,  it  has 
only  occurred  once  in  fifteen  years.  On  the  night 
of  the  second  of  May,  1863,  a  frost  destroyed  nine- 
tenths  of  the  blossoms,  only  a  few  Winter  varieties 
that  were  not  fully  open,  escaped  injury. 

I  find  that  it  is  a  good  plan  to  mulch  the  ground 
around  the  body  of  the  pear  tree,  late  in  the  fall, 
with  salt  hay,  straw,  or  other  litter.  It  not  only 
keeps  the  frost  in  later,  retarding  the  buds  from  swell- 
ing before  the  weather  is  settled,  but  also  prevents 


LIFTING   SUB-SOIL    PLOW.  21 

it  should  be  remembered,  that  when  a  tree  is  plant- 
ed, it  is  not  for  a  crop  of  one  year  alone.  When  the 
soil  is  properly  prepared  before  the  trees  are  put  into 
place,  annual  crops  for  a  lifetime  may  be  realized 
with  little  care  or  expense.  For  the  amateur,  or  one 
who  only  plants  in  his  garden  enough  for  family  use, 
and  who  will  take  pride  in  having  his  trees  do  well 
and  bear  fine  specimens,  the  preparatory  step  of 
draining  should  not  be  overlooked. 

In  case  the  land  selected  for  the  orchard  or  fruit 
garden  is  a  heavy  clay,  locate  the  drains  forty  feet 
apart  and  four  feet  deep,  if  fall  enough  can  be  had 
to  carry  off  the  water.  If  circumstances  will  admit, 
it  is  better  to  have  them  at  least  this  depth,  for  if 
shallow,  the  roots  of  the  trees  may  penetrate,  and  very 
soon  render  them  useless. 

In  the  field,  the  expense  of  opening  drains  may 
be  lessened  one-third,  by  loosening  the  upper  two 
feet  of  earth  with  the  lifting  sub-soil  plow.  This 
may  be  readily  done  with  a  pair  of  oxen  or  horses ; 
for  the  former  make  a  long  yoke,  so  that  one  of  the 
animals  can  walk  on  either  side  of  the  ditch.  When 
the  plow  has  been  run  three  or  four  times  in  the 
same  line,  the  loose  earth  is  shoveled  out,  and  the 
operation  of  the  plow  repeated  in  the  bottom,  until 
its  full  depth  is  reached.  A  few  inches  more  earth 
may  be  loosened  by  fastening  a  heavy  weight  at  the 


22  LAYING   TILES. 

end  of  the  beam.  This  will  have  a  tendency  to  keep 
the  point  of  the  plow  down,  and  a  greater  depth  cciu 
be  attained.  The  lower  two  feet  will  have  to  be  re- 
moved by  the  spade,  shovel  and  pickaxe.  The  ditch 
should  only  be  opened  a  sufficient  width  to  permit 
the  man  to  work ;  keeping  a  gradual  slope  down- 
wards, and  at  the  bottom  only  wide  enough  to  admit 
the  tile. 

Round  pipes  with  collars  are  preferable,  especial- 
ly if  the  sub-soil  is  sandy.  In  localities  where  these 
cannot  be  had,  the  two-inch  sole  tiles  are  the  second 
best  shape  for  all  lateral  drains.  "When  the  ditch  is 
completed,  the  bottom  having  the  requisite  fall  to 
carry  oif  the  water,  commence  laying  the  tiles  in  the 
upper  end  of  the  drain.  The  joints  should  be 
brought  close  together,  and  it  is  better  to  place  an 
inverted  sod  over  each  joint,  or  else  a  small  quantity 
of  hay  or  straw  twisted.  This  prevents  sand  or  fine 
silt  from  entering  until  the  earth  above  the  pipes 
becomes  settled.  Care  should  be  taken  that  each  tile 
has  a  firm  position,  if  not,  when  the  earth  is  placed 
on  the  top  of  it,  the  pipe  will  tilt  to  one  side  or  the 
other,  and  cause  a  serious  break  in  the  drain.  The 
tiles  should  then  be  covered  with  earth,  at  first  care- 
fully with  a  long-handled  shovel,  so  as  not  to  dis- 
place them,  and  the  balance  with  a  plow,  road- 
scraper,  or  anything  else  that  will  facilitate  the 
operation. 


BASEMENT    STORY.  23 

When  the  drains  are  completed,  the  soil  should 
be  thoroughly  plowed  and  sub-soiled.  It  is  said 
that  the  latter  operation  is  a  master  key  to  under- 
draining,  and  there  is  no  doubt,  in  my  mind,  of 
the  truth  of  it.  The  usual  method  is:  first,  sur- 
face plow,  following  in  the  bottom  of  the  furrow 
with  a  sub-soil  plow,  drawn  by  one  or  two  pairs 
of  oxen  or  horsss.  The  former  are  considered 
best,  if  the  ground  is  very  hard  or  stony.  To 
make  the  operation  very  thorough,  the  field 
should  have  the  same  treatment  crosswise,  and  by 
this  the  whole  of  the  sub-soil  will  be  loosened,  so 
that  rain  and  dew  can  easily  percolate  to  a  great 
depth.  As  a  matter  of  course,  this  method  will, 
with  the  addition  of  some  fertilizer,  render  the 
"  basement  story  of  the  farm  "  congenial  to  the  roots 
of  growing  trees.  In  the  garden,  the  manipulation 
of  the  surface  and  sub-soil  will  have  to  be  done  with 
the  digging  fork  and  spade,  but  the  space  of  ground 
sufficient  to  supply  a  family  with  fruit,  is  so  small, 
that  the  expense  of  disturbing  it  to  the  depth  of 
fourteen  to  eighteen  inches  will  be  only  a  trifle,  con- 
sidering the  influence  it  will  have  on  the  growth 
and  vigor  of  the  tree. 

A  neighbor,  who  has  had  considerable  experience 
in  draining,  instead  of  tiles,  makes  use  of  common 
hemlock  boards,  six  inches  wide,  nailed  together  in 


24,  ALTERNATE   FREEZING   AND   THAWING. 

lengths  of  twelve  feet,  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  A. 
He  finds  they  are  quite  as  effective  as  tiles,  and 
more  easily  placed  in  the  drain.  He  put  some 
down  in  1848,  and  they  are  at  present  perfectly 
sound.  My  practice  is  to  under-drain  during  the 
summer,  then  fall  plow  and  sub-soil,  leaving  the 
land  in  ridges  during  the  winter.  In  the  spring, 
when  the  ground  is  dry  enough  to  work,  surface 
plow,  running  the  lifting  sub-soil  plow  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  furrow.  This  latter  operation,  with  the 
effects  on  the  soil  of  the  alternate  freezing  and 
thawing  during  the  winter  months,  leaves  the  soil 
in  fine  mechanical  condition.  The  land  is  then 
made  ready  for  a  root  crop,  usually  potatoes,  which 
are  planted  in  the  ordinary  way,  the  rows  wide 
enough  apart  to  admit  of  horse  implements.  Before 
planting,  I  apply  to  the  surface  broadcast  five  or  six 
hundred  pounds  of  super-phosphate  to  the  acre,  and 
harrow  it  in,  and  put  wood-ashes  into  the  drill  at 
the  time  of  planting.  The  surface  should  be  kept 
loose  and  free  from  weeds,  by  frequent  disturbance 
of  the  surface  soil  with  the  horse-hoe. 

When  the  crop  is  harvested,  the  land  will  be  in 
excellent  condition  for  setting  out  trees,  which  may 
be  done  in  the  fall  or  the  following  spring,  as  cir- 
cumstances may  dictate. 

Persons  desirous  of  knowing  more  about  under- 


TREES    OVER-BEARING.  25 

draining,  are   referred    to   books  published  on  the 
subject. 

On  light  sandy  soils,  having  an  open  sub-soil, 
fruit  trees  will  thrive  without  under-drains,  provided 
the  land  is  kept  in  good  "  heart/'  and  thoroughly 
worked  before  planting  the  trees.  Land  that  will 
produce  forty  or  fifty  bushels  of  shelled  corn  to  the 
acre,  prepared  in  the  way  described,  will  give  satis- 
factory returns  in  pears,  and  produce  new  wood 
enough  to  sustain  the  tree  in  a  healthy  condition. 
When  a  young  pear  tree  is  heavily  laden  with  fruit, 
and  lias  no  new  wood,  it  is  fair  to  suppose  that  the 
tree  is  not  in  a  healthy  state.  This  is  subsequently 
proved  by  the  fact,  that  this  over-bearing  has 
brought  on  premature  death.  Pear  culture  is  fre- 
quently condemned  as  being  unprofitable,  and  the 
trees  short-lived,  when  the  facts  show  mismanagement 
on  the  part  of  the  owner  in  neglecting  to  provide  the 
necessary  food,  and  an  entire  want  of  knowledge  of 
the  principles  that  should  govern  the  use  of  the 
pruning  knife. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

DISTANCE    APART    IN    PLANTING. 

THIS  is  an  important  subject  for  the  person  who 
intends  to  plant  fruit  trees.  Once  in  place,  it  is 
very  difficult  and  expensive  to  remove  them,  besides, 
there  is  always  some  risk  in  transplanting  a  large 
tree.  When  a  mistake  has  been  made  in  the  laying 
out  of  a  young  orchard,  the  owner  must  quietly  sub- 
mit to  the  error,  and  the  only  satisfaction  he  can 
have,  is  to  prevent  others  from  making  the  same 
mistake. 

The  distance  apart  that  trees  should  be  planted 
in  the  orchard,  depends  somewhat  on  the  mode  of 
pruning  to  be  adopted,  and  the  use  to  be  made  of 
the  ground  between  the  rows.  In  case  the  trees  are 
trained  tall,  with  spreading  tops,  the  distance,  both 
between  the  rows  and  the  trees  in  the  row,  must  be 
more  than  if  the  conical  shape  is  chosen. 

Standards  pruned  to  make  pyramids,  may  be 
planted  as  close  as  12  by  1G — that  is,  twelve  feet 
apart  in  the  row,  and  sixteen  between  the  rows. 
"With  a  careful  and  judicious  system  of  pruning, 


DISTANCE   BETWEEN   BOWS.  27 

(which  will  be  described  under  another  heading), 
this  will  be  found  ample  room  for  standards.  "We 
have  standard  trees,  set  out  thirteen  years  ago,  on 
well  prepared  soil,  at  these  distances,  and  I  am  con- 
vinced they  have  plenty  of  room  for  all  purposes. 

Dwarfs  require  less  room  than  standards.  Our 
first  plantings  were  set  8  by  21,  but  we  found  that 
too  great  a  distance  between  the  rows,  and  at  each 
successive  planting  we  reduced  it,  until  we  got  down 
to  10  by  10,  which,  on  strong  ground,  is  as  close 
together  as  they  ought  to  be  planted.  We  have  de- 
cided that  all  our  future  plantings  of  dwarfs,  shall 
be  set  at  these  distances.  In  pursuing  this  course, 
every  tenth  space  is  left  fifteen  feet  wide.  This  Is 
necessary  in  an  orchard,  so  as  to  permit  a  cart  to 
pass  between  the  rows  in  manuring  the  trees,  gather- 
ing the  fruit,  &c.,  &c.  By  planting  both  standards 
and  dwarfs  according  to  the  following  diagram,  each 
tree  has  more  room  than  if  placed  directly  opposite 
the  other. 


28  CtJBEANTS   MAY   BE   PLANTED. 

"When  the  trees  are  planted  at  these  distances,  vege- 
tables may  be  grown  between  the  rows  for  a  few 
years,  sufficient  at  least  to  pay  current  expenses, 
that  is,  rent  of  land,  taxes,  labor,  &c.,  &c. 

This  can  readily  be  done,  in  locations  where  land 
is  high,  without  material  injury  to  the  trees,  pro- 
vided enough  manure  is  applied  to  perfect  the 
growing  crop.  Potatoes,  carrots,  beets,  onions  and 
turnips,  are  the  kinds  least  likely  to  harm  the  trees. 
Strawberries,  when  permitted  to  make  runners  and 
cover  the  whole  surface,  are  quite  as  likely  to  retard 
the  growth  of  trees  as  any  of  the  cereals.  The  latter, 
on  no  account,  should  be  sown  on  a  young  orchard. 
I  know  of  some  instances  when  two-thirds  of  the 
trees  were  stunted  by  one  crop  of  rye. 

When  the  location  is  within  a  short  distance  of 
a  good  market,  in  the  vicinity  of  any  of  our  large 
cities,  currants  may  be  planted  three  and  a  half  feet 
apart,  and  midway  between  the  pear  rows.  We 
have  followed  this  plan  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
have  made  it  pay  a  handsome  profit.  When  the 
trees  attain  size  enough  to  require  all  the  ground, 
it  is  an  easy  task  to  remove  the  currant  bushes. 
For  the  last  seven  years,  our  currants  growing  be 
tween  the  pear  rows,  averaged  annually  $117  per 
acre  net. 

This  fruit  is  becoming  more  popular  every  year, 
and  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York,  the  demand 


CROPPING    BETWEEN    THE    ROW..  29 

has  been  far  greater  than  the  supply.  This  berry- 
may  also  be  made  into  a  jelly,  which  is  always  in 
demand. 

I  mention  these  facts,  as  there  are  many  persons 
planting  small  lots  of  pear  trees,  in  locations  where 
land  is  high,  and  they  want  something  growing 
between  the  trees  that  will  pay  expenses. 

At  the  end  of  five  or  six  years  from  the  time  of 
planting  the  trees,  cropping  between  the  rows  or  in 
the  orchard  should  be  discontinued.  At  the  expira- 
tion, of  that  time,  a  cultivator  or  horse  hoe  will  be 
quite  sufficient  to  disturb  the  surface  two  or  three 
inches  deep.  This  operation  should  be  repeated 
often  enough  to  keep  the  soil  loose  and  weeds  from 
appearing.  Pains  should  be  taken  to  carry  out  this 
latter  fully,  as  the  weeds  are  both  unsightly  and 
unprofitable  in  an  orchard  of  any  kind  of  fruit. 

If  the  trees  receive  the  proper  care  and  treat- 
ment, the  crop  of  fruit  will  be  large  enough,  by  the 
sixth  and  seventh  years,  to  begin  paying  some  of  the 
original  outlay  for  trees,  and  the  expenses  incurred 
in  preparing  the  soil. 


30  DISTANCE   TABLE 


DISTANCE    TABLE    FOP*    PLANTING. 
Feet.        Feet.  Number  of  trees  to  an  acre. 

10  by  10 4:35 

12  "    12 302 

12  "    16 226 

15  "    15 193 

18  «    18 134: 

20  "    20 10S 

25  "    25 69 

40  "    40 27 

I  give  no  figures  about  tho  cost  of  planting  au 
acre  of  pears,  because,  with  the  facts  set  forth  in  this 
work  about  the  way  land  should  be  prepared,  any 
person  can  readily  calculate  what  the  outlay  will  ba 


CHAPTER  Y. 

DWAEF3    AXD    STANDARDS. SELECTING   TREES. 

AFTEE  fourteen  years  of  practical  experience 
with  pears  and  their  culture,  having  had  under  mj 
charge,  part  of  that  time,  more  than  one  hundred 
varieties,  including  all  the  leading  kinds,  planted  on 
well  prepared  soil, — I  have  come  to  the  conclusion, 
contrary  to  my  former  views,  that  with  a  single  ex- 
ception, the  culture  of  the  dwarf  in  the  orchard  is  a 
failure.  This  conclusion  is  not  the  result  of  a  few 
days'  investigation,  it  has  extended  over  many  years. 
As  fact  after  fact  presented  itself,  I  was  slow  to  ac- 
cept them  as  conclusive,  until  it  became  so  apparent, 
that  to  hold  out  any  longer  would  be  obstinacy. 
For  a  long  time,  I  had  reason  to  suppose  that  the 
Angers  quince  was  well  suited  as  a  stock  for  many 
of  our  best  varieties  of  pears,  but  as  far  as  my  per- 
sonal observation  has  gone,  the  number  has  dwindled 
down  to  one  variety,  that  is  the  Duchesse  d'Angou- 
leme.  How  long  this  kind  will  continue  to  do  well 
on  quince  root,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  If  it 
should  fail,  I  would  feel  much  discouraged,  for  I 


32  ONE   YEAR   OLD   STOCK. 

have  met  with  but  little  success  in  growing  this 
variety  as  a  standard.  All  other  kinds  that  we  have 
under  culture  do  better  as  standards.  By  a  simple 
and  judicious  system  of  pruning,  I  lind  little  diffi- 
culty in  bringing  them  into  bearing  the  fourth  or 
fifth  year  from  the  time  of  planting.  Nor  is  the 
fruit  inferior  in  quality  on  our  soil,  although  speci- 
mens of  the  same  variety  are  frequently  larger  on 
the  dwarf  than  on  the  standard. 

The  majority  of  our  Duchesse  d'Angoulem©  trees 
have  become  standards  by  pushing  out  roots  from 
the  pear  stocks,  but  they  are  more  profitable  than 
when  planted  on  pear  roots.  The  standard  Duchesse, 
or  those  originally  having  pear  roots,  that  we  have 
in  the  orchard,  are  less  productive,  and  the  fruit  is 
inferior  in  size  and  quality. 

For  many  years  during  our  early  experience  in 
pear  culture,  we  planted  trees  in  the  orchard  not 
less  than  two  years  old,  believing  that  younger  trees 
would  not  do  as  well.  On  this  point  we  have 
changed  both  opinion  and  practice,  and  we  now 
select  well-grown,  one  year  old  stock,  in  preference 
to  all  others,  for  the  following  reasons :  trees  of  this 
age  cost  about  one-half  as  much ;  when  planted  in 
the  orchard,  they  will  become  more  uniform  in 
shape  and  size,  with  less  labor ;  the  purchaser  will 
get  moro  roots  in  comparison  with  the  tops  ;  and  the 


TREE   PEDDLERS.  33 

freight  will  not  average  more  than  one-quarter,  for 
one  hundred  one-year  old  will  not  occupy  more 
space  than  twenty-five  or  thirty  two-years  old  trees. 
Persons  who  are  about  purchasing  fruit  trees 
should  in  all  cases  buy  of  some  responsible  nursery- 
man, who  has  his  reputation  at  stake  for  what  he 
sells.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  among  the  trade,  that 
a  nurseryman  who  sends  out  well  grown  trees,  and 
true  to  name,  will  build  up  a  larger  business  in  this 
way,  than  by  using  freely  printer's  ink. 

Do  not  be  induced  to  buy  from  peddlers,  unless 
you  are  certain  they  are  the  authorized  agents  of 
some  well-known  nursery.  They  are,  in  most  cases, 
supplied  with  exaggerated  and  extra  colored  prints 
of  different  kinds  of  fruit,  to  tempt  those  unac- 
quainted with  the  original.  Many  of  these  persons 
represent  themselves  as  the  agents  of  responsible 
nurseries,,  with  whom,  in  fact,  they  have  no  con- 
nection. It  would  be  to  the  interest  of  all  to  sup- 
press this  traffic  ;  it  not  only  cheats  the  public,  but  it 
does  great  injury  to  the  business.  If  the  nursery  is 
not  too  far  distant,  it  is  the  best  plan  to  go  there  in 
person,  examine  and  select  what  you  want.  Point 
out  a  specimen  of  the  size  and  shape  wanted.  In 
making  such  a  selection,  the  price  may  be  a  little 
higher,  but  you  can  afford  to  pay  a  few  cents 
advance  on  the  regular  price  for  a  tree  that  is  well 

a* 


grown  and  stocky.  It  is  but  a  small  item,  when  you 
consider  the  difference  it  will  make  in  the  orchard 
in  the  course  of  ten  years.  In  case  you  decide  to 
have  part  dwarfs,  do  not  buy  those  that  are  high 
worked.  If  buyers  were  more  careful,  and  refused 
to  take  trees  when  the  pear  bud  has  been  set  six  or 
eight  inches  above  the  surface,  nurserymen  would 
soon  abandon  this  practice,  which  is  now  too  preva- 
lent. It  is  less  labor  to  set  a  bud  six  inches  from 
the  ground  than  two,  because  the  operator  does  not 
have  to  lean  over  so  far ;  but  if  those  high  worked 
trees  were  unsaleable,  proprietors  would  pay  more 
attention  to  this  branch  of  the  business  than  they 
now  do.  It  is  well  known  to  all  intelligent  fruit 
growers,  that  in  planting  dwarf  pear  trees,  the  union 
between  the  pear  and  quince  should  be  at  least  four 
inches  below  the  surface.  In  case  this  rule  is  carried 
out  with  a  tree  "  high  worked,"  say  five  to  eight 
inches  above  the  surface,  the  roots  are  buried  so 
deeply,  as  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  the  effects  of  the 
sun's  rays,  and  the  free  circulation  of  air ;  both  of 
which  are  so  important  to  assist  in  the  healthy 
growth  of  the  young  tree. 

For  either  standards  or  dwarfs  select  low  trained, 
stocky  trees,  even  if  you  decide  to  remove  the 
lower  branches  after  they  are  in  place.  I  have 
found,  from  experience,  that  such  trees  are  better 


OHE   THOUSAND    BAETLETTS.  £5 

rooted,  and  they  will,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  suc- 
ceed best  in  the  orchard.     But  strange  as  it  may  ap- 
pear, four  persons  out  of  six  will  choose  a  tall  spind- 
ling tree  in  preference  to  a  stocky  one,  and,  there- 
fore, nurserymen  are  compelled  to  train  trees  to  suit 
the  market,  instead  of  what  their  experience  and 
judgment  would  dictate.     Some  of  the  practical  ones 
do   exclaim,  when   coming  into  a  nursery,  "Why 
don't  you  have  those  trees  more  stocky  ?     They  are 
too  tall  to  suit  me ! "     The  simple  reason  is,  nur- 
serymen like  other  producing  agents,  will  raise  what 
their  customers  want.     If  it  were  a  matter  left  to 
their  judgment,  we  should  have  more  well  grown 
and  healthy  pear  orchards  than  are  now  to  be  found. 
Trees  that  have  been  forced  too  much  in  the 
nursery  row,  as  a  general  thing,  do  not  succeed  as 
well  as  trees  grown  on  land  of  medium  strength. 
As  a  case  in  point,  we  imported  from  France,  six 
years  ago,  one  thousand  Bartletts,  two  years  from 
the  bud.     Everybody  who  saw  them,  said  they  were, 
without  doubt,  the  finest  lot  they  had  seen.     The 
second  year's  growth  averaged  four  feet  long,  and 
the  young  wood  looked  as  if  it  might  be  made  into 
serviceable  walking  canes.     These  trees  were  plant- 
ed on  a  clay  soil,  well  prepared  and  in  good  con- 
dition.    It  would  have  produced  three  tons  of  timo- 
thy hay  to  the  acre,  or  fifty  bushels  of  shelled  corn. 


36  UNNATURAL    CONDITION. 

After  planting,  the  trees  were  cut  back  and 
great  care  taken  of  them.  In  two  years  from  the 
time  of  planting,  three  hundred  and  twenty-four 
died.  The  only  solution  I  can  give,  is,  that  they 
were  stimulated  to  such  an  extent  in  the  nursery, 
that  when  transplanted  into  an  ordinary  soil,  the 
roots  did  not  supply  the  amount  necessary  to  keep 
the  top  in  its  unnatural  condition.  On  close  ex- 
amination of  the  young  wood,  I  found  it  to  be  soft 
and  spongy.  I  have  no  doubt,  that  forcing  trees 
with  putrescent  manures  is  the  cause  of  the  numer- 
ous cases  from  which  young  trees  suffer  for  two  or 
three  years  after  being  set  out.  I  do  not  mean  to 
say  you  should  select  stunted  trees,  but  such  as  have 
a  healthy  appc  arance,  with  a  moderate  growth  of 
young  wood,  if,  on  examination,  you  tind  it  hard  to 
the  extreme  ends  of  the  branches.  You  will  often 
find,  on  cutting  the  young  wood  of  trees  that  have 
been  forced  too  rapidly,  a  dark  brown  spot  in  the 
center  or  heart  of  the  twig;  this  is  a  sure  indication 
of  an  unnatural  growth,  and  great  care  will  have  to 
be  given,  or  many  of  the  trees  will  not  survive  more 
than  one  or  two  years.  The  best  remedy  for  this 
is  to  cut  off  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  previous  year's 
growth,  and  mulch  the  ground  for  a  space  of  three 
feet  around  the  body  of  the  trees. 

The  aphis,  or  what  is  commonly  called  the  bark 


THE   BAKK    LOUSE.  37 

louse,  often  finds  its  way  into  the  nursery,  and  unless 
the  necessary  precaution  is  taken,  it  will  spread 
rapidly.  Purchasers  should  be  careful  to  give  in- 
structions that  no  trees  so  affected,  should  be  sent 
to  them,  for,  until  these  little  insects  are  removed, 
the  trees  will  make  but  small  headway  in  the  young 
orchard. 


CHAPTER  VL 

TIME    OF    PLANTING. 

WHEN  the  ground  has  been  thoroughly  prepared, 
by  under-draining,  surface  and  sub-soil  plowing,  in 
the  way  described  in  the  former  part  of  this  treatise, 
so  that  the  land  will  not  hold  stagnant  water,  pear 
trees  may  be  planted  with  safety,  either  in  the 
spring  or  fall,  as  time  and  circumstances  may  permit. 
If  everything  is  in  readiness,  and  it  is  decided  to 
plant  in  the  fall,  the  trees  may  be  removed  from 
the  nursery  row  as  soon  as  the  leaves  are  shed,  or  the 
leaf-buds  fully  developed.  The  labor  of  planting 
may  be  continued,  if  the  ground  is  dry  enough  to 
work,  until  severe  frost  stops  the  operation.  It  is 
a  very  wise  plan  to  mulch  trees  planted  in  the  fall 
with  hay,  straw,  long  manure,  or  charcoal  cinders. 
This  light  covering  of  the  ground  as  far  as  the  roots 
extend,  prevents  the  frequent  freezings  and  thaw- 
ings,  which  often  prove  so  injurious  to  the  roots  of 
newly-planted  trees. 

Some  fruit-growers  object  to  fall  planting,  on 
account  of  the  trees  being  left  so  long  exposed  to  the 


SPRING   AND   FALL   PLANTING.  39 

winter  and  spring  winds  before  growth  commences. 
This,  of  course,  would  be  a  serious  objection,  if  the 
trees  were  planted  carelessly,  and  left  unprotected 
until  the  following  spring.  The  swaying  of  the  top 
backward  and  forward  would,  without  doubt,  injure 
the  roots.  But  in  every  case,  the  trees  should  be 
carefully  planted  and  pruned,  or  cut  back  at  once. 
Then  there  is  little  to  be  feared  from  the  injurious 
effects  of  the  wind,  on  trees  planted  in  the  fall. 

In  our  pear  orchard  of  several  thousand  trees, 
about  one-half  was  set  out  in  the  fall,  and  the  other 
in  the  spring,  and,  except  in  a  few  cases,  there  is  little 
noticeable  difference.  My  rule  is,  to  begin  work  just 
as  soon  as  the  ground  is  in  readiness.  Five  years 
ago,  I  selected  sixty  trees,  and  planted  one  row 
(thirty)  in  the  fall,  the  balance  in  another  row,  in 
the  spring,  for  the  purpose  of  experimenting  and 
convincing  myself  if  there  would  be  any  difference 
in  the  growth  of  the  trees,  provided  the  condition  of 
soil  and  the  trees  were  alike.  Since  then,  both  of 
these  rows  have  had  the  same  treatment,  receiving 

'  O 

the  same  kind  and  quantity  of  manure,  and  being 
pruned  at  the  same  season.  The  first  season,  the 
row  planted  in  the  fall  was  ahead,  the  young  wood 
was  stronger  and  the  general  appearance  better. 
But  the  second  year,  the  spring  row  caught  up,  and 
there  is  no  perceptible  difference  to-day  in  the  state 


4:0  A   STRICT   RECORD. 

of  the  two  rows ;  they  are  as  nearly  alike  as  pear 
trees  can  possibly  be. 

This  experiment,  in  connection  with  some  others, 
of  which  I  have  kept  a  strict  record,  convinced  me 
that  more  depends  on  the  condition  of  the  tree,  and 
the  thorough  preparation  of  the  soil,  than  on  the 
time  of  planting. 

There  is  one  fact  that  I  have  noticed  in  many 
cases.  When  trees  are  planted  in  the  fall,  the  work 
is  performed  better,  all  the  rules  laid  down  by  practi- 
cal men,  who  have  given  written  directions  on  the 
subject,  are  more  fully  carried  out.  This  is,  proba- 
bly, because  persons  are  not  so  much  hurried  with 
other  work  at  this  season  as  in  the  spring,  when 
everything  has  to  be  attended  to  in  a  short  space  of 
time.  For  this  reason,  I  have  frequently  recom- 
mended fall  planting  in  preference  to  spring.  I 
know  how  important  it  is  that  a  pear  tree  should  be 
planted  with  the  greatest  care,  to  insure  future 
success. 

Trees  may  be  set  out  in  the  spring,  as  soon  as 
the  ground  is  in  a  condition  to  be  worked,  and  until 
the  leaf-buds  are  partially  unfolded.  I  have  fre- 
quently transplanted  pear  trees  when  in  full  leaf 
without  the  loss  of  a  single  tree.  This  can  only  be 
done  by  very  careful  handling,  severe  pruning,  and 
mulching  the  ground  soon  after  the  trees  are  put 


SANDY    SOIL.  41 

into  place.  Trees  should  never  be  planted,  either  in 
spring  or  fall,  while  the  ground  is  wet,  for  if  the 
earth  is  thrown  around  the  roots  in  this  condition,  it 
will  form  into  lumps,  and  will  remain  so  for  years, 
which  will  interfere  with  the  growth  of  the  young 
roots.  This  is  more  especially  true  of  clay  soils,  or 
sandy  soils  with  a  clay  sub  soil. 


CHAPTER  YIL 

PLANTING. 

the  location  of  the  rows  Intended  for  pear 
trees  is  decided  upon,  run  a  large  sized  sub-soil  plow 
a  dozen  or  more  times,  repeating  until  the  soil  two 
or  three  yards  on  either  side  of  the  center  line  is 
completely  pulverized.  This  operation  will  leave 
the  soil  in  fine  condition  for  the  roots  to  penetrate 
and  lessen  the  expense  of  opening  the  holes,  as  there 
will  be  but  little  left  to  be  done  with  the  spade. 

Various  opinions  are  held  by  growers,  concern- 
ing the  proper  size  to  which  the  holes  should  be 
dug,  in  putting  out  trees ;  but  from  my  own  expe- 
rience, the  most  satisfactory  results  have  been  ob- 
tained when  the  field  or  garden  has  been  one  large 
hole  filled  loosely  with  fine  earth. 

In  removing  the  earth  from  the  holes,  keep  the 
surface  and  the  sub-soil  in  separate  heaps.  When 
the  proper  depth  has  been  attained,  which  should 
not  be  less  than  two  feet,  and  at  least  three  in  diam- 
eter, fill  the  hole  with  surface  soil  to  within  twelve 
or  eighteen  inches  of  the  surface.  Mix  with  this 


BLIT   THE   BARK.  4:3 

earth  finely-ground  bones,  super-phosphate  and  wood 
ashes;  a  small  quantity  of  each  will  answer  the 
purpose,  provided  the  ground  is  of  average  quality, 
that  is,  of  sufficient  strength  to  produce  forty  or  fifty 
bushels  of  shelled  corn  to  the  acre.  Before  putting 
the  tree  into  place,  examine  the  roots  carefully,  and 
if  there  are  any  broken  or  bruised  remove  them ; 
using  a  sharp  knife  and  cutting  them  from  the  under 
side. 

All  fruit  growers  are  aware  of  the  fact,  that  pear 
trees  in  the  nursery  row  throw  out  stronger  branches 
towards  the  next  row  than  towards  the  next  tree  in 
the  same  row.  The  future  equilibrium  of  the  trees 
will  therefore  depend  in  part  on  the  weaker  portions 
being  preserved  as  above  described. 

Dwarf  pears  should  be  placed  in  the  soil,  so  that 
at  least  four  inches  of  the  pear  stalk  will  be  covered  ; 
or  in  other  words,  the  union  between  the  pear  and 
the  quince  should  be  four  inches  below  the  surface. 
This  will  insure  the  early  bearing  of  pears  worked 
on  quince,  and  the  pear  stalk  will,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years,  push  forth  roots  changing  the  tree  into  a 
standard.  Some  varieties  do  not  readily  root  from 
their  own  stock.  In  such  cases  I  have  removed  the 
earth  from  around  the  body,  and  with  a  sharp  knife 
slit  the  bark  <.-pen  lengthwise  in  three  or  four  differ- 
ent places,  and  then  restored  the  earth.  This  18 


44  EACH    LAYER    OF    ROOTS. 

almost  a  sure  way  of  forcing  roots  from  the  pear 
above  the  union  ;  and  from  twenty-five  such  incis- 
ions that  I  made  three  years  ago,  I  found  recently, 
kon  removing  the  trees,  twelve  healthy  pear  roots, 
formed  in  that  time. 

When  dwarfs  are  planted  in  the  way  described, 
they  will  succeed  much  better  than  if  the  union  is 
at  or  above  the  surface.  Standards,  or  pears  worked 
on  their  own  stock,  should  not  be  planted  more  than 
four  inches  deeper  than  they  stood  in  the  nursery. 
The  pear  root  is  more  fleshy  with  less  small  roots 
than  the  quince,  and  therefore  great  care  should  be 
taken,  both  in  "lifting"  from  the  nursery  row  and 
in  transplanting.  On  no  account  should  the  roots 
be  left  exposed,  either  to  the  sun  or  to  a  strong 
wind. 

When  the  tree  is  in  place  and  at  the  proper 
depth,  fill  in  around  the  roots  with  surface  soil. 
One  man  should  hold  the  tree  in  position,  while  one 
or  more  assist  in  putting  the  earth  around  the  roots, 
each  of  which  should  be  drawn  out  to  its  full  length 
and  at  right  angles  with  the  body  of  the  tree.  Too 
much  care  cannot  be  given  to  this  branch  of  the 
work,  for  it  is  all  important  that  the  roots  should  be 
surrounded  by  fine  earth  and  placed  in  a  natural 
position.  Each  layer  of  roots  should  be  held  up 
until  the  earth  is  up  to  its  level,  then  stretch  it  out, 


CARELESS    PACKING.  4:5 

ami  so  continue  till  the  hole  is  filled.  The  tree 
should  be  gently  shaken  occasionally,  so  as  to  settle 
the  soil  around  the  roots.  It  will  be  necessary  to 
raise  a  mound  of  earth  around  the  body  of  the  tree, 
four  or  five  inches  above  the  level  of  the  surface,  to 
allow  for  the  settling  of  the  soil.  Then  press  the 
earth  firmly  around  the  body  of  the  tree  with  the 
foot,  to  give  the  tree  a  firm  hold. 

Trees  that  have  been  out  of  the  ground  for  a 
long  time,  and  suffered  from  exposure  or  careless 
packing,  I  have  frequently  saved  by  immersing  the 
roots,  for  two  or  three  hours  before  planting,  in 
water,  to  which  I  have  added  a  small  quantity  of  fine- 
ly powdered  bone  or  super-phosphate  of  lime. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


DIGGING     TREES     FROM     THE     NURSERY     ROW,     AND 


PACKING. 


THEUE  is  no  branch  of  the  nurseryman's  business 
that  requires  more  care  and  attention  than  removing 
young  trees  from  the  nursery  row.  On  the  judi- 
cious performance  of  this  very  delicate  operation 
depends  to  a  great  extent  the  future  success  or  fail- 
ure of  the  pear  orchard.  From  practical  experience 
for  the  past  fifteen  years  in  buying  fruit  trees,  I  feel 
confident  in  saying  there  is  less  care  exercised  in  this 
department  than  in  any  other  connected  with  the 
nursery.  As  a  general  rule  (of  course  there  are  some 
exceptions),  the  labor  of  "  lifting  trees  "  is  performed 
by  strength  and  ignorance.  The  men  who  are  em- 
ployed for  this  kind  of  work  care  but  little  if  a  third 
or  even  one-half  of  the  roots  should  be  detached 
from  the  tree  by  careless  and  rude  means,  so  long  as 
the  required  number  of  trees  is  dug  out.  The 
method  practised  in  many  nurseries  is :  one  man  on 
each  side  of  the  row  of  trees  with  an  obedient  spade 
in  hand,  while  a  third  man  takes  hold  of  the  top  of 


AN    UNFORTUNATE    TREK.  47 

the  tree  that  is  to  be  removed.  This  is  a  signal  for 
the  men  with  spades,  who  push  them  into  the 
ground,  face  of  the  tool  towards  the  tree,  so,  with 
the  combined  efforts  of  two  men  prying  and  one 
pulling,  the  unfortunate  tree  is  jerked  from  its  habi 
tation,  leaving,  as  may  be  supposed,  a  large  portion 
of  the  most  valuable  roots  in  the  soil.  In  fact,  it  is 
difficult  to  ba  severe  enough  against  this  barbarous 
method,  so  common  in  lifting  young  trees.  If  the 
soil  is  a  heavy  clay,  the  roots  are  more  broken  and 
lacerated  than  if  in  a  sandy  loam.  The  clay  being 
more  compact,  the  young  roots  are  severed  by  sud- 
den jerking  or  rough  handling. 

Figures  Kos.  1  and  2  are  correct  drawings  from 
trees  grown  in  the  same  row,  having  had  the  same 
treatment  previous  to  removal.  Fig.  1  was  taken 
from  the  nursery  in  the  way  described  above.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  any  person  exam- 
ining the  two,  as  to  which  one  he  would  select  for 
planting,  provided  he  had  the  choice,  and  it  is  also 
quite  certain  No.  2  will  make  the  better  tree,  having 
sufficient  roots  to  furnish  the  top  with  food  enough 
to  keep  it  in  a  healthy  condition,  until  more  roots 
can  be  made.  But,  except  under  the  most  favora- 
ble circumstances  and  with  great  care,  Ko.  1  will 
not  survive  one  year ;  if  it  does,  the  tree  will  merely 
hold  on  to  life.  The  top  of  such  a  tree  should  be 


FIG     1. 


50  BELOW    THE    ROOTS. 

pruned  severely,  cutting  off  two-thirds  of  the  pres- 
ent growth,  and  then  the  ground  should  be  mulched 
heavily,  so  as  to  keep  the  soil  around  the  roots 
moist. 

In  most  instances  that  have  come  under  my  ob- 
servation, nurserymen  are  in  fault,  in  lowering  their 
prices  in  order  to  draw  more  custom,  and  then  being 
often  compelled  to  engage  ignorant  and  cheap  labor 
to  perform  the  work. 

The  strictest  care  should  be  exercised  in  remov- 
ing trees,  and  price  enough  be  charged,  so  that  pur- 
chasers may  get  all  the  roots  as  well  as  the  tops. 
The  men  should  commence  digging  one  and  a  half 
to  two  feet  from  the  tree,  opening  a  trench  parallel 
to  the  row  of  trees,  always  keeping  the  edge  of  the 
spade  towards  the  body  of  the  tree.  When  the  bot- 
tom of  the  trench  is  below  the  roots,  a  digging  fork 
should  be  used  to  remove  a  portion  of  the  ball  of 
earth  from  around  the  roots.  The  spades  may  then 
be  pushed  under  this  ball,  and  by  a  gentle  and  con- 
tinuous pulling  the  tree  will  readily  be  lifted  with 
all  its  roots.  If  the  tree  is  to  be  transplanted  near 
by,  the  earth  may  be  left  on,  but  if  it  is  going  some 
distance  from  the  nursery,  the  earth  must  be  shaken 
off  in  such  a  way  that  the  roots  may  not  be  in 
jured.  Trees  should  be  placed  under  cover  as  soon 
as  they  are  dug  out,  and  the  roots  protected  from 


PACKING-  TREKS.  > 

the  wind  and  sun  until  packed  for  transportation. 
In  a  large  nursery,  it  is  not  an  unusual  thing  to  see 
trees  left  lying  on  the  ground  without  protection  for 
several  hours,  before  being  taken  to  the  packing 
house.  This  should  not  be  permitted,  for  both  wind 
and  sun  injure  the  young  roots. 

PACKING   TREES. 

It  is  a  strange  thing,  but  nevertheless  true,  that 
nearly  all  purchasers  object  to  have  a  charge  for 
packing  added  to  their  bills.  This  certainly  ought 
not  to  be  the  case.  The  nurseryman  sells  his  trees 
at  so  much  per  hundred  or  thousand,  and  puts  down 
the  prices  so  low  that  he  cannot  afford  to  pay  for 
boxes  and  material,  all  of  which  the  purchasers  get 
and  can  make  use  of  in  some  other  way.  If  the 
trees  have  to  go  a  long  distance,  it  is  always  safer  to 
instruct  the  nurseryman  to  use  well-made  boxes  and 
pack  a  sufficient  quantity  of  moss  among  the  roots 
to  keep  them  moist.  For  short  transportation,  the 
lops  may  be  bound  in  straw  to  protect  them  from 
injury,  the  roots  covered  with  moss,  and  coarse  bag- 
ging carefully  fastened  on  with  very  strong  cord, 
such  as  is  used  for  baling  hay.  The  nurseryman 
should  also  be  instructed  whether  to  forward  the 
packages  by  railroad,  c'carnboat,  or  express,  also 
naming  the  line.  A  neglect  in  giving  these  direc- 


52  IMPORTED    TRKE8. 

tions  oftentimes  is  the  cause  of  much  delay  and  dis- 
appointment. When  the  trees  arrive  at  their  desti- 
nation, the  boxes  or  bundles  should  be  opened  at 
once,  the  trees  carefully  lifted  out,  the  roots  wet,  and 
the  trees  "heeled  in,"  that  is,- put  into  a  trench  two 
feet  wide,  eighteen  inches  deep,  and  any  desired 
length.  The  tress  must  be  placed  in  this  trench  in 
an  upright  position,  as  closely  as  they  will  stand,  and 
the  fine  earth  filled  in  around  the  roots,  covering 
also  six  or  eight  inches  of  the  body  of  the  trees. 
They  may  be  left  in  this  way  with  safety  until  the 
ground  is  made  ready  for  planting.  If  the  roots 
look  very  dry  on  taking  them  from  the  boxes,  they 
may  be  placed  in  a  stream  of  water  for  twelve  to 
thirty-six  hours  before  planting.  I  have  frequently 
appealed  to  this  practice  with  imported  trees  that 
were  a  long  time  on  their  way,  and  in  most  cases 
have  been  successful  in  saving  the  life  of  trees  so 
treated. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

VARIETIES    TO   PLAXT. 

To  select  the  best  varieties  to  plant  in  the 
orchard  is  always  a  puzzling  task  for  the  beginner, 
especially  if  he  is  in  a  location  where  there  have 
been  few  pear  trees  planted.  There  are  not  many 
sorts  that  do  well  in  all  parts  of  the  country ;  such 
is  the  influence  of  soil  and  climate  on  pears,  that  the 
same  varieties  often  ditfer  in  quality  and  productive- 
ness in  different  parts  of  the  same  State.  Persons 
cannot  always  be  guided  in  making  a  selection  by 
ascertaining  the  kinds  that  have  been  fully  tested  in 
other  parts  of  the  State,  unless  the  soil  and  climate 
are  alike.  Even  with  such  varieties  as  the  Bartlett, 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  Seckel  and  Yicar  of  AYink- 
field,  which  succeed  in  most  localities,  I  have  fre- 
quently witnessed  so  marked  a  difference  in  their 
appearance  and  quality,  as  for  a  time  to  doubt 
whether  they  were  not  other  sorts.  The  great  dif- 
ficulty in  making  a  judicious  assortment  is,  that 
there  are  too  many  varieties  from  which  to  choose. 

If  a  peivon  consults   books  on   the  subject,  or 


54  HOW    TO    SELECT    A   FEW    VARIETIES. 

nurserymen's  catalogues  of  fruit  trees,  he  becomes 
bewildered  by  the  multiplicity  of  sorts  minutely  de- 
scribed and  recommended  for  cultivation.  Then  if 
he  decides  to  attend  some  horticultural  exhibition, 
and  make  the  selection  from  the  choice  kinds  on  the 
tables,  the  same  perplexity  arises,  how  to  select  five 
or  ten  varieties  from  these  large  collections.  In 
most  cases  the  specimens  on  exhibition  average  one- 
third  larger  in  size  than  the  main  crop,  in  this  way 
misleading  persons  not  very  familiar  with  fruits.  In 
our  own  case,  if  we  had  confined  our  selection  to 
five  good  varieties,  instead  of  fifty,  we  should  be 
several  thousand  dollars  better  off  to-day,  and  have 
besides  a  uniformity  in  the  appearance  of  the  trees 
of  our  first  plantings.  In  another  instance  that  has 
come  under  my  observation,  the  proprietor  of  an 
orchard  of  fifteen  hundred  trees  informed  me  that  it 
had  made  a  difference  in  his  receipts  of  three  thou- 
sand dollars  in  ten  years. 

At  the  request  of  different  persons  he  was  per- 
suaded to  set  out  ten  trees  of  one  kind,  fifteen  of 
another,  five  more  of  something  new  and  choice,  and 
twenty  of  another  sort.  So  he  kept  on,  until  when 
the  fifteen  hundred  trees  were  in  place,  he  had  over 
fifty  varieties.  As  the  trees  came  into  bearing, 
many  of  the  sorts  proved  to  be  nearly  worthless  for 
market  purposes.  Having  so  many  varieties,  only  a 


CHOICE    KINDS    OF    PEARS.  55 

few  of  them  were  in  sufficient  quantity  to  make  it 
an  object  to  send  them  to  market.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  ten  years  two-thirds  of  the  original  fifteen 
hundred  trees  had  to  he  re-grafted. 

It  is  much  less  trouble  and  more  profitable  to 
dispose  of  one  hundred  barrels  of  any  one  well- 
known  variety  than  to  sell  ten  barrels  of  ten  differ- 
ent varieties.  In  an  orchard  of  five  hundred  trees, 
I  would  not  have  less  than  one  hundred  of  the  same 
kind.  As  a  matter  cf  course,  before  deciding,  I 
would  endeavor  to  make  myself  familiar  with  the 
varieties  that  will  most  likely  do  well  in  the  locality. 
In  making  selections  for  the  orchard,  preference 
should  always  be  given  to  trees  whose  natural  habits 
are  vigorous,  for  strength,  combined  with  product- 
iveness and  good  quality,  and  adaptation  to  soil  and 
climate,  are  the  requirements  we  need.  There  are 
many  choice  kinds  of  pears  on  our  catalogues  that 
are  rendered  unfit  for  the  orchard,  by  their  habit  of 
growth  being  so  irregular  and  uncertain.  This 
peculiarity,  and  an  inclination  to  overbear  while 
young,  should  deter  purchasers  from  planting  largely 
of  such  varieties  in  the  orchard,  and  therefore  iri- 
qniry  should  always  be  made  on  these  points  before 
selecting.  It  makes  little  difference  to  the  orchard- 
ist  what  the  quality  of  the  pear  may  be ;  if  the  tree 
is  a  poor  grower,  it  becomes  an  unsightly  object  in 


56  A    LIST    OF   VARIETIES. 

the  orchard.  1  am  frequently  asked,  by  persons  about 
to  engage  in  pear  culture,  "  What  kinds  shall  I  plant 
for  market  purposes  ?  "  My  reply  in  most  cases  has 
been :  "  First,  make  inquiry  of  persons  living  near 
your  location,  to  learn  if  possible  which  kinds  suc- 
ceed best,  and  then  confine  your  list  to  a  very  lim- 
ited number  of  varieties." 

I  cannot  even  now  make  out  a  list  of  varieties 
that  would  be  a  safe  guide  to  others  located  in  a  dif- 
ferent part  of  the  country.  There  are  so  many  con- 
tingencies, that  if  I  prepared  one,  it  would  more 
probably  mislead  than  instruct  them.  Our  expe- 
rience for  the  past  fifteen  years  in  growing  pears  for 
the  New  York  market,  has  caused  a  reduction  in  our 
list  of  fifty  varieties  to  the  following  named  sorts, 
all  of  which  succeed  well  and  command  the  highest 
market  prices. 

EARLY. 

Bartlett.          Doyenne  Boussock. 

FALL. 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme.    Beurre  Clairgeau.    Seckel. 

WINTER. 
Beurre  d'Anjou.     Lawrence.      Vicar   of  Winkfield. 

All  of  these  we  plant  as  standards,  except  the 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  which  we  still  cultivate  on 
quince  roots. 

Pears  ripening  before  the  Bartlett  with  us  have 


DOYENNE   BOUSSOCK.  57 

not  been  profitable,  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  como 
into  market  at  a  time  when  there  is  an  abundance  of 
small  fruits,  and  the  demand  for  pears  is  therefore 
comparatively  trifling.  Many  of  our  early  varieties 
were  grafted  with  later  kinds  some  years  ago,  and  I 
I  have  no  reason  to  regret  having  done  so.  Thus 
far  there  is  no  first  quality,  late  winter,  market  vari- 
ety that  I  can  recommend  for  the  orchard. 

The  Bartlett  is  so  well  known  in  every  part  of 
the  country,  that  it  needs  no  description.  It  is  an 
excellent  market  variety,  when  grown  as  a  standard. 

The  Doyenne  Boussock  is  not  so  well  known  nor 
so  extensively  cultivated.  It  is,  however,  gaining 
favor  every  year,  and  with  us,  it  is  a  profitable  vari- 
ety for  market.  The  tree  is  a  very  strong  grower, 
bears  a  large  showy  pear  of  fair  quality,  and  always 
sells  readily  at  the  highest  market  prices.  Its  time 
of  ripening  is  the  same  as  the  Bartlett. 

The  Duchesse  d'Angouleine  is  about  as  well 
known  as  the  Bartlett,  although  it  is  not  quite  as 
reliable  a  bearer  in  all  localities.  With  us,  it  is  the 
most  profitable  variety  that  we  cultivate  for  market. 
Two-thirds  of  the  pear  trees  in  our  orchard  are 
Duchesse  cl'Angouleme.  It  is  a  vigorous,  upright 
grower ;  it  will  succeed  best  under  what  is  known 
as  "  high  culture."  The  fruit  with  us  is  large,  uni- 
form in  size,  and  of  good  quality.  The  tree  seldom 
3* 


58  BEUERE    CLAIEGEAU. 

fails  to  produce  a  crop  of  fruit.  It  ripens  in  Octo- 
ber and  November. 

The  Seckel  is  a  recognized  favorite  throughout 
the  country.  Its  quality  is  unquestionable.  The 
drawback  to  its  culture  for  market  is  on  account  of 
its  size  and  tardiness  in  coming  into  bearing.  The 
tree  must  have  age  before  any  money  can  be  real- 
ized from  the  Seckel.  A  list  made  up  without  this 
pear  would  be  incomplete.  In  setting  out  an 
orchard,  I  would  have  but  a  comparatively  small 
number  of  Seckels;  in  fact,  I  would  much  prefer 
grafting  large  trees  of  poor  kinds  with  this  variety 
than  planting  stock  as  it  comes  from  the  nursery. 

Beurre  Clairgeau  is  a  large  and  very  showy  pear, 
commanding  a  higher  market  price  than  any  other 
variety  ripening  at  the  same  time.  We  are  culti- 
vating this  variety  in  the  orchard,  but  I  am  still  un- 
certain whether  it  will  come  up  to  the  standard  of  a 
reliable  kind  for  market.  The  difficulty  is,  that  in 
certain  seasons  the  tree  sheds  its  leaves  during  the 
month  of  August,  and  the  fruit,  before  gathering 
time,  is  almost  entirely  covered  with  small  black 
spots,  which  make  it  unsightly.  In  a  few  instances, 
I  have  known  the  fruit  to  be  cracked.  It  has  not 
done  so  on  our  soil.  When  Duchesse  d'Angou- 
lemes  are  selling  for  $20,  the  Clairgeau,  well  grown 
will  bring  $30  per  barrel. 


FINE   LARGE   PEARS.  59 

Beurre  cfAnjou  may  be  termed  an  early  winter 
variety,  that,  like  the  Doyenne*  Boussock,  is  rapidly 
becoming  a  favorite  among  fruit  growers.  It  re- 
quires some  time  for  the  tree  to  come  into  bearing, 
but  when  it  does,  it  bears  regular  crops  of  fine  large 
pears,  of  good  quality,  that  bring  high  prices  in 
market.  In  our  orchard,  the  tree  is  a  moderate 
grower.  It  has  borne  only  a  few  specimens  until  the 
trees  were  twelve  years  old ;  since  then  they  have 
become  more  fruitful  each  succeeding  year. 

The  Lawrence  is  a  medium  to  small  variety,  the 
fruit  maturing  about  the  same  time  as  the  Beurre 
d'Anjou.  The  tree  is  an  irregular  grower,  sending 
forth  branches  in  every  conceivable  direction,  and 
bearing  lightly  while  it  is  young.  Unlike  the  Bart- 
lett,  it  is  an  excellent  keeping  variety  ;  I  have  fre- 
quently had  a  Lawrence  pear  in  a  good  condition  to 
be  eaten  for  three  weeks. 

The  Yicar  of  Winkfield  is  in  most  localities 
very  productive,  but  the  fruit  is  of  moderate  flavor 
and  sometimes  astringent.  It  might  be  set  down  as 
good,  bad,  or  indifferent.  It  is,  however,  one  of  our 
best  cooking  pears.  The  tree  makes  a  strong,  uni- 
form growth,  bears  early,  and,  if  planted  in  quantity 
to  sell  as  a  cooking  pear,  it  will  pay  handsomely. 

The  Glout  Morceau,  so  strongly  recommended 
and  so  extensively  planted  a  few  years  ago,  is  a 


60 


worthless  variety  in  New  Jersey.  It  is  the  most 
promising  and  least  productive  variety  with  which  I 
am  familiar. 

We  have  more  trees  of  the  Duchesse  d'Angou- 
leme  in  our  orchard,  than  of  any  other  variety  ;  next 
in  number  is  the  Bartlett.  The  others  are  in  about 
equal  proportion.  If  confined  to  plant  but  two  var- 
ieties for  profit,  I  would  choose  these  two  named. 
For  four  varieties,  I  would  add  Beurre  d'Anjou  and 
Yicar  of  Winkfield ;  and  for  six,  I  would  include 
besides  these  four,  Lawrence  and  Doyenne  Bous- 
sock. 

AMATEUR'S  LIST. 
Summer  Varieties. 

Bloodgood,  Manning's  Elizabeth,  Dearborn's  Seed- 
ling, Doyenne  d'Ete,  and  Rostiezer. 
Fall  Varieties. 

Andrews,  Bartlett,  Belle  Lucrative,  Doyenne' 
Boussock,  Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  Beurre  Bosc, 
Seckel,  and  Sheldon. 

Winter  Varieties. 

Beurre  d'Anjou,  Danas  Hovey,  Lawrence,  Win- 
ter Nells,  and  Yicar  of  Winkfield. 

From  this  list  of  twenty  approved  varieties,  the 
amateur  may  select  enough  to  give  him  fine  pears 
for  table  use  from  July  until  March. 


CHAPTER  X. 

PKUKIXG. 

IT  is  admitted  by  all  intelligent  fruit  growers, 
that  on  a  proper  and  judicious  system  of  pruning 
depends  the  success  of  a  young  orchard.  But  there 
are  others,  who  suppose  that,  when  the  tree  is  in 
place,  and  it  has  started  to  grow,  care  is  no  longer 
required ;  this  is  not  so — if  vigorous,  fruitful  and 
well  shaped  trees  are  wanted.  The  following  truth- 
ful statement  on  the  necessity  of  a  system  of  pruning 
is  from  that  excellent  work,  "  Barry's  Fruit  Garden." 
"  The  idea  that  our  bright  American  sun  and  clear 
atmosphere  render  pruning  an  almost  unnecessary 
operation,  has  not  only  been  inculcated  by  horti- 
cultural writers,  but  has  been  acted  upon  in  practice 
to  such  an  extent,  that  more  than  three-fourths  of 
all  the  bearing  fruit  trees  in  the  country  at  this 
moment,  are  either  lean,  misshaped  skeletons,  or  the 
heads  are  perfect  masses  of  wood,  unable  to  yield 
more  than  one  bushel  in  ten  of  fruit  well  matured, 
colored  and  ripened.  This  is  actually  the  case,  in 
what  may  be  called  well-managed  orchards.  Look 


62  PRUNE    TO    INDUCE    FRUITFULNESS. 

at  the  difference  between  the  fruit  produced  on 
young  and  old  trees.  The  former  are  open,  the 
fruits  are  exposed  to  the  sun,  therefore  they  are  not 
only  large  and  perfect,  but  their  skins  are  smooth, 
as  though  they  were  polished.  This  ought  to  teach 
us  something  about  pruning ;  but  this  is  only  one 
point.  We  prune  one  portion  of  a  tree  to  reduce 
its  size,  and  to  favor  the  growth  of  another  and 
weaker  part.  We  prune  a  stem,  a  branch  or  a  shoot 
to  produce  ramification  of  their  parts,  and  thus 
change  and  modify  the  whole  form  of  the  treo.  We 
prune  to  induce  fruitfulness  and  to  diminish  it.  We 
prune  in  growing  as  well  as  in  dormant  seasons ;  and 
finally  we  prune  both  roots  and  branches.  Thus  we 
see  that  pruning  is  applied  to  all  parts  of  the  trees 
at  all  seasons,  and  to  produce  the  most  opposite 
results." 

From  my  own  experience,  and  from  what  I  have 
learned  of  those  who  have  been  engaged  in  growing 
pears  on  the  most  approved  methods,  all  appear  to 
have  come  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  pyramidal  or 
conical  is  the  best  form  for  standard  as  well  as 
dwarf  pears,  for  the  following  reasons : 

1st.  The  largest  surface  is  nearest  the  ground, 
and  therefore  less  likely  to  suffer  from  heavy  winds. 

2d.  The  fruit  is  not  injured  by  falling  from  the 
tree. 


THE   TIME    OF   BUDDING.  63 

3d.  Less  surface  is  shaded  with  the  pyramidal 
than  with  higher  and  more  spreading  forms  of 
growth. 

4th.  The  trunk  is  not  exposed  to  the  direct 
rajs  of  the  sun,  and  consequently  the  flow  of  sap  is 
not  unduly  accelerated,  as  would  otherwise  be  the 
result. 

5th.  The  fruit  spurs  are  formed  on  the  main 
branches,  near  the  body  of  the  tree,  and  of  course 
more  weight  of  fruit  can  be  sustained  with  less  in- 
jury to  the  tree. 

6th.  Thinning  out  and  gathering  the  fruit  are 
made  easier,  and  consequently  they  will  be  more 
likely  to  be  attended  to  at  the  proper  time. 

Numerous  other  advantages  might  be  given,  but 
those  mentioned  afford  sufficient  argument  in  favor 
of  having  the  head  of  the  tree  as  near  the  ground 
as  possible. 

One  year  from  the  time  of  budding,  the  young 
tree  consists  of  a  single  upright  shoot,  with  the 
largest  buds  at  the  top.  Whether  the  tree  is  re- 
moved from  or  left  in  the  nursery  row  another  year, 
one-half  at  least  of  this  growth  should  be  cut  off. 
At  the  close  of  the  second  year's  growth,  the  tree 
will  consist  of  a  central  or  main  shoot  with  nu- 
merous side  branches.  The  most  vigorous  of  these 
are  near  the  upper  part  of  the  central  shoot,  while  the 


64  Atf  UPWARD   AND   OUTWARD   GROWTH. 

weakest  are  near  the  ground.  The  plan  of  pruning 
should  then  be  directed  to  check  in  degree  the  up- 
ward flow  of  sap,  so  that  it  may  be  disseminated  in 
the  lower  branches,  strengthening  the  weak  ones, 
and  developing  the  dormant  buds.  Unless  these 
preventive  measures  are  at  once  taken  with  trees 
grown  so  closely  together  as  in  the  nursery  row,  the 
buds  on  many  of  the  lower  branches  will  certainly 
not  unfold.  When  a  one  or  two-years  old  tree  ia 
planted  in  the  garden  or  orchard,  it  is  a  simple  and 
easy  matter  to  change  the  flow  of  sap  from  the  top 
branches  to  those  nearer  the  ground.  But  if  neg- 
lected for  several  years,  it  becomes  a  difficult  task, 
or  the  mistake  is  discovered  when  it  is  too  late  to 
remedy  it. 

To  prune  for  a  pyramidal  tree,  each  branch 
should  be  longer  than  the  one  immediately  above  it, 
and  the  plan  of  the  operator  should  be  to  encourage 
an  upward  and  outward  growth,  and  always  to  leave 
the  tree  open  enough  to  admit  the  sun  and  air,  other- 
wise the  fruit  near  the  body  of  the  tree  will  be  mis- 
shapen and  unmarketable. 

If  the  grower  is  very  anxious  to  have  regularly 
formed  trees,  a  bud  may  be  inserted,  when  necessary 
to  fill  up  a  vacant  space. 

Some  varieties,  such  as  the  Duchesse  d'Angou- 
leme,  Flemish  Beauty,  Urbaniste,  Sheldon  and  Bart- 


66  NEAR    A   WOOD   BUD. 

lett  are  inclined  to  the  pyramidal  form ;  their  growth 
of  wood  is  uniform  and  regular,  and  they  will  there- 
fore attain  the  proper  shape,  with  but  little  trouble, 
unless  the  young  trees  were  so  closely  crowded  to- 
gether in  the  nursery,  as  to  interfere  with  their  nat- 
ural habits  of  growth.  In  such  instances  more 
care  will  be  required  in  planting,  and  in  the  first 
and  second  pruning,  so  that  the  new  shoots  may  be 
evenly  distributed  over  the  body  of  the  tree. 

There  are  other  kinds,  such  as  the  Winter  Nelis, 
Lawrence  and  Beurre  d'Amalis,  more  difficult  to 
manage,  owing  to  their  propensity  to  irregular 
growth.  The  young  shoots  on  these  varieties,  are 
pushed  forth  in  every  direction,  and  to  make  well- 
shapen  trees  of  them,  they  will  require  strict  atten- 
tion for  three  or  four  years  from  the  time  of  planting. 

For  the  first  named  sorts,  the  cut  in  trimming 
should  be  made  slanting  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
shoot,  near  a  wood  bud;  or  in  other  words,  the 
operator  should  stand  facing  the  tree,  cutting  from 
the  upper  side,  drawing  the  knife  at  an  angle  tow- 
ards him.  The  bud  in  this  case  must  be  on  the 
under  side  of  the  shoot,  so  positioned  that  the 
growth  from  the  bud  will  keep  the  tree  in  balance. 
In  cutting  off  branches,  the  knife  should  always  be 
very  sharp,  so  that  a  clean  cut  may  be  made,  which 
will  heal  more  quickly  than  if  the  end  of  the  twig 


TOO   MUCH   WOOD.  t>< 

is  left  with  a  ragged  edge.  In  removing  the  end  of 
the  shoot,  care  should  be  exercised  to  cut  it  so  close 
that  the  growth  of  the  bud  may  be  a  continuation 
of  the  branch.  I  have  sometimes  seen  the  cut  made 
so  close  to  the  bud,  as  to  injure  it ;  and  then  again  if 
too  much  wood  is  left  above  the 
bud,  the  stump  of  wood  decays  and 
makes  an  unsightly  object.  Figure 
6  represents  the  proper  way  to  cut 
off  a  shoot.  If  cut  as  in  figure  5, 
the  wood  above  the  bud  will  decay, 
and  it  may  reach  and  injure  the 
bud. 

For  the  latter  class  of  trees,  the 
cutting  will  depend  on  the  position 
of  the  shoots  and  buds;  but  as 
stated  before,  the  growth  should  be 
encouraged  upward  and  outward. 

If  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  shoot 
go  straight  up,  the  bud  should  be 
on  the  inside  of  the  shoot ;  if  on  the 
.  contrary,  an  opposite  or  side  devi-  FIG.  6. 
utioii  is  wanted,  select  a  bud  pointing  in  either  direc- 
tion, and  with  care,  the  desired  end  is  sure  to  be 
accomplished.  It  may  often  be  requisite  to  remove 
a  large  branch  in  order  to  make  the  tree  more  open 
in  the  center.  When  this  has  to  be  done,  the  cut 


68  SYSTEM   OF   PRUNING. 

should  be  made  close  to  the  body  of  the  tree  or  to 
the  branch  from  which  it  forks  off.  The  surface  of 
the  wound  should  be  made  smooth  and  coated  over 
with  gum  shellac  dissolved  in  alcohol.  I  have  use'd 
this  paste  for  a  number  of  years,  with  satisfactory 
results.  Owners  should  not  be  over-anxious  to  have 
a  large  tree  in  a  few  years,  but  rather  endeavor,  by  a 
judicious  system  of  pruning,  to  get  a  stocky  growth, 
and  strengthen  the  branches  near  the  ground.  In 
this  way  the  whole  surface  of  the  tree  will  produce 
alike.  By  pursuing  this  course,  the  buds  on  the 
lower  branches  are  developed,  fruit  spurs  are  formed 
near  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  and  by  keeping  the 
branches  far  enough  apart  to  admit  sun  and  air 
freely,  the  fruit  will  attain  full  size,  and  will  be  less 
likely  to  be  blown  oif  by  heavy  gales  in  the  fall 
than  if  on  the  top  of  the  tree. 

When  the  tree  is  in  place,  from  one-half  to  two- 
thirds  of  the  young  shoots  should  be  pruned,  leav- 
ing every  branch  shorter  than  the  one  immediately 
under  it.  By  strictly  following  this  method,  the  up- 
ward tendency  of  the  sap  will  be  in  a  degree  checked, 
and  there  will  be  a  more  even  distribution  of  it 
among  the  lower  limbs.  The  scripture  adage,  "  train 
up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go,  and  when  he  is 
old  he  will  not  depart  from  it,"  is  no  less  true  of  a 
fruit  tree.  It  rests  solely  with  the  owner,  whether 


AN   UNPRODUCTIVE   TREE.  69 

he  will  have  a  well-shaped  and  productive  tree,  or  a 
misshapen  and  unproductive  one.  If  during  the 
first  summer,  one,  two  or  three  shoots  should  be 
making  a  stronger  growth  than  the  others,  pinch 
them  back  with  the  thumb  and  finger.  By  giving 
some  attention  in  this  way,  a  more  uniform  growth 
will  be  obtained. 

On  dwarfs,  fruit  will  frequently  set  the  fourth 
year  from  the  time  of  budding,  but  it  is  very  unwise 
to  let  it  remain.  The  trees  should  be  examined  care- 
fully, and  every  pear  removed.  By  permitting 
young  trees  to  bear  fruit,  they  are  so  likely  to  be- 
come stunted,  that  the  owner  cannot  be  urged  too 
strongly  not  to  sanction  this  dangerous  practice,  now 
so  common  in  almost  every  young  pear  orchard. 
The  question  is  frequently  asked,  "when  should 
pruning  be  done  ? "  The  most  appropriate  answer 
to  this  question  is,  "prune  in  winter  for  wood  and 
in  summer  for  fruit;  "  in  other  words,  to  encourage 
the  growth  of  wood,  to  build  up  the  tree,  the  gen- 
eral pruning  should  be  done  during  March  and 
April,  or  not  until  the  continued  cold  weather  has 
past.  If  young  trees  are  pruned  in  the  early  part 
of  winter,  the  ends  of  the  shoots  are  often  so  injured 
by  severe  cold  weather,  that  the  first  leaf  buds  are 
killed,  leaving  short  pieces  of  dead  wood  to  disfigure 
the  branches.  On  our  own  place,  we  begin  to  prune 


TO  PROMOTE  FRUITFULNESS. 

from  the  1st  to  the  15th  of  March,  and  go  on  with 
the  work  through  April.  I  do  not  remember  a 
single  instance,  nor  can  I  find  one  in  my  note-book, 
where  the  end  of  a  branch  or  twig  was  injured  by 
cold  weather,  when  the  trees  were  trimmed  after  the 
first  of  March ;  neither  have  I  observed  any  ill  ef- 
fects from  pruning  pear  trees  in  April,  although  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  month,  if  warm  weather  sets 
in,  the  buds  swell  rapidly,  and  leaves  appear  before 
the  first  of  May,  It  is  not  best  to  do  much  cutting, 
except  on  very  young  trees,  while  the  foliage  is  com- 
ing out. 

When  the  trees  are  seven  or  eight  feet  high,  the 
pruning  can  be  done  with  greater  ease  and  rapidity 
by  the  use  of  a  trimming  shears ;  the  same  as  fig.  7. 

The  Gardener's  Monthly  published  an  essay  on 
the  ''Philosophy  of  Pruning,"  read  before  the  Pa. 
Horticultural  Society,  by  Dr.  J.  A.  Warder.  After 
some  very  excellent  general  directions  about  the 
management  of  trees  in  the  nursery  rows,  so  as  to 
give  them  the  best  form,  the  Dr.  says :  "  The  second 
object  of  pruning  being  to  promote  fruitfulness  in 
the  trees,  it  should  be  done  chiefly  during  the  sum- 
mer or  during  the  period  of  growth.  At  the  same 
time  or  during  the  growing  season,  much  may  be 
done  to  advantage;  both  in  thinning  out  and  short- 
ening in  such  parts  of  the  tree  as  need  these  plans 


FIG.   V.—  TRIMMING   SHEABa 


72  SUMMER    PRUNING. 

of  treatment.  Various  methods  are  pursued  to  pro- 
duce fruitfulness,  all  of  them  depending  upon  the 
fact  that  this  condition  arises  from  the  natural  habit 
of  the  tree,  to  make  its  wood  growth  very  freely  for 
a  series  of  years,  and  then  while  the  growth  by 
extension  is  curtailed,  to  take  on  that  wonderful 
change,  by  which  the  wood  buds  are  transformed 
into  those  that  expand  into  flowers  and  produce  fruit. 
The  study  of  these  changes  is  called  Morphology, 
and  when  the  tree  has  reached  this  condition  it  is 
said  to  have  arrived  at  its  maturity." 

To  bring  about  this  change,  summer  pruning 
should  be  resorted  to,  if  the  tree  is  inclined  to  make 
a  strong  growth  of  young  wood.  It  should  be  done 
during  the  growing  season,  yet  late  enough  that  a 
second  growth  may  not  start.  I  have  found  from 
the  1st  to  the  20th  of  July  the  best  time  to  perform 
this  work  at  Newark,  !N".  J.  It  is  simply  removing 
a  portion  of  the  present  year's  growth,  cutting  or 
pinching  off  from  one-third  to  one  half  of  the  young 
shoots. 

By  changing  the  course  of  the  flow  of.  sap  from 
the  extreme  ends  of  the  branches,  the  leaf  buds  are 
enlarged  and  changed  into  fruit  spurs.  "When  too 
many  young  shoots  have  started,  they  may  be  re- 
moved without  injury  to  the  tree,  in  fact,  it  will  be 
an  advantage,  if  they  are  taken  out  in  July  instead 


UPWARD    AND   OUTWARD.  73 

of  in  the  following  March ;  for  the  amount  of  food 
necessary  to  bring  these  useless  shoots  to  maturity 
will  then  be  appropriated  by  the  remaining  brandies. 
In  summer  as  well  as  in  winter  pruning,  the  main 
object  should  never  be  lost  sight  of;  to  encourage 
the  growth  upward  and  outward,  leaving  the  tree 
open  enough  to  admit  air  and  light. 

Let  me  repeat  once  more,  summer  pruning  must 
be  performed  with  care  and  judgment.  Many  va- 
rieties will  come  into  bearing  in  four  or  five  years 
from  the  time  of  planting.  On  these  kinds  summer 
pinching  is  unnecessary,  for  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  a  young  tree,  to  maintain  a  healthy  con- 
dition, must  continue  to  make  new  wood  as  well  as 
to  produce  fruit. 

There  are  many  ways  of  changing  trees  from 
wood  making  to  fruit  making.  1  have  pursued  a 
simple  and  easy  method  thus  to  alter  the  habits  of 
a  tree.  During  March  and  April,  or  July  and 
August,  on  trees  not  inclined  to  produce  fruit,  I 
select  some  young  shoots,  in  different  places  on  the 
tree,  and  carefully  bend  them  into  the  form  of  rings. 
Fruit  spurs,  as  in  fig.  8,  will  appear  on  the  curved 
portions,  certainly  within  two  years.  This  plan  I 
prefer  to  the  one  usually  practised,  of  bending  and 
tying  the  end  of  the  long  branches  to  the  body  of 
the  tree.  In  the  former  case  the  fruit  spurs  will  be 
4 


PIQ.  8.— FRUIT   SPURS. 


ANNUAL   CROPS.  75 

formed  near  the  body  of  the  tree,  while  by  the  latter 
method  the  fruit  will  be  on  long  branches  that  are 
more  likely  to  be  injured  by  wind  storms. 

"When  the  trees  attain  the  proper  age  to  produce 
annual  crops  of  miit,  tne  wood  growth  will  be 
checked,  and  exceDt  to  remove  a  branch  occasionally, 
there  will  be  little  or  no  pruning  required. 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

MANURING   AND   MULCHING. 

THEEE  is  probably  no  part  of  the  care  of  fruu 
trees  less  understood,  than  that  of  furnishing  the 
proper  kind  of  food,  and  in  the  right  condition  to 
be  appropriated. 

Young  pear  trees  are  often  killed  by  over  kind- 
ness, in  placing  large  quantities  of  uiifermented 
manures  in  the  holes  before  planting,  and  around 
the  bodies  of  the  trees  afterwards.  It  should  be 
distinctly  understood,  that  both  of  these  practices 
are  likely  to  prove  injurious  to  the  welfare  and 
healthfulness  of  the  trees.  It  is  now  admitted  that 
unfermented  manure  of  any  kind  should  not  be 
placed  near  the  roots  of  a  young  tree. 

The  following  analysis,  by  Dr.  Emmons,  of  the 
wood  of  the  pear  tree,  shows  that  potash,  lime,  and 
phosphate  of  lime,  are  the  three  leading  constituents : 

SAPWOOD.      BARK. 

Potash, 22.25       6.20 

Soda, 1.84 

Chlorine, 0.31       l.TC 


ASH    OF   THE   FRUIT.  77 

8APWOOD.      BARK. 

Sulphuric  Acid, 0.50  1.80 

Phosphate  of  lime, 27.22  6.50 

Phosphate  of  peroxide  of  iron,  0.31 

Carbonic  Acid, 27.69  37.39 

Lime, 12.64  30.36 

Magnesia, 3.00  9.40 

Silex, 0.30  0.40 

Organic  matter, 4.02  4.20 

By  the  analysis  of  the  ash  of  the  fruit,  100  Ibs. 
of  fruit  will  give  forty-three  hundredths  of  one  per 
cent,  of  residue. 

The  analysis  is  by  Richardson  : 

ASH  OP  THE  FBUIT. 

Potash, 54.69 

Soda, 8.32 

Lime, 7.98 

Magnesia, 5 . 22 

Sulphuric  Acid, 5 . 69 

Silicic  Acid, 1 .49 

Phosphoric  Acid, 11.28 

Phosphate  of  Iron, 1 .96 

By  an  examination  of  the  above  figures  the  care- 
ful cultivator  will  see  the  necessity  of  preparing 
•some  special  manure  for -his  orchard,  in  order  to 


78  SALT   AND   LIME   MIXTURE. 

keep  the  trees  in  a  healthy  condition.  The  ordinary 
method  of  manuring  does  not  supply  the  tree  lead- 
ing constituents  in  sufficient  quantity  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  growing  trees.  Unless  these 
substances  are  added  in  some  form,  the  fruit  trees 
cannot  succeed. 

Barn-yard  manure,  composted  with  muck  and 
the  salt  and  lime  mixture,  and  thoroughly  decom- 
posed, is  in  a  condition  to  be  made  available  imme- 
diately, and  it  will  give  general  satisfaction  in  pro- 
ducing both  fruit  and  wood.  This  compost  can  be 
made  much  more  valuable  by  adding,  occasionally, 
small  quantities  of  finely  ground  bones  and  wood 
ashes  to  the  heap.  Barn-yard  manure  should, always 
be  decomposed  before  it  is  placed  near  the  roots  of 
young  trees.  At  the  farm  of  the  late  Prof.  Mapes, 
the  following  system  of  manuring  pear  trees  has 
been  adopted.  After  many  years  of  careful  experi- 
ments on  an  orchard  of  between  three  and  four 
thousand  trees,  I  am  more  thoroughly  convinced 
that  the  conclusions  arrived  at  by  the  lamented  Pro- 
fessor are  correct.  By  practising  his  method  of 
treatment,  the  most  gratifying  success  has  been  ob- 
tained,— fine  healthy  trees  and  abundant  crops. 
The  mode  adopted  is  to  apply  super-phosphate  of 
lime,  at  the  rate  of  from  400  to  600  Ibs.  to  the  acre, 
mixed  with  twice  its  bulk  of  earth,  and  spread 


COMPOSTING    MANURE.  79 

broadcast  over  the  surface.  This  top  dressing  is  mixed 
with  surface  soil  by  the  use  of  a  horse  hoe  or  small 
plow.  The  manure  is  thrown  over  all  the  surface 
between  the  trees,  and  not,  as  I  have  frequently  no- 
ticed in  different  orchards,  close  to  the  body  of  each 
tree. 

The  orchardist  should  have,  at  all  times,  in  some 
convenient  spot  near  his  fruit  trees,  a  compost  heap. 
If  it  is  made  up  of  barn-yard  manure  and  old  sods 
or  head  lands,  the  longer  it  is  kept  in  the  heap  the 
more  thorough  will  be  the  decomposition,  and,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  the  manure  will  be  in  a  better 
condition  for  appropriation.  If  swamp  muck  is  ac- 
cessible, and  it  can  be  purchased  at  one  dollar  for  a 
two-horse  load,  it  will  pay  to  cart  and  compost  it  in 
the  following  way  :  the  muck  should  be  thrown  up 
in  ridges  for  some  months  before  hauling  to  the  yard 
or  other  convenient  spot  for  composting.  With  every 
cord  of  muck,  mix  four  bushels  of  salt  and  lime 
mixture,  and  then  to  every  nine  cords  of  this  mixture 
add  one  of  barn  yard  manure.  The  whole  should 
be  well  worked  together,  and  put  in  a  square  heap 
until  thoroughly  decomposed.  The  mass  may  be 
turned  over  once  every  three  months,  and  at  each  of 
these  turnings,  small  quantities  of  super-phosphate 
of  lime,  ground  bone  and  wood  ashes  should  be 
added  in  such  a  way  that  they  may  be  evenly  cjis- 


80  INTELLIGENT    P"AR    GROWERS. 

tributed  throughout  the  entire  heap.  Such  a  com- 
post should  not  be  used  until  the  end  of  the  second 
year  from  the  time  of  making.  By  that  time  the 
mass  will  be  homogeneous,  and  have  the  appearance 
of  spoiled  cheese.  If  intended  for  ground  not  yet 
planted  with  fruit  trees,  it  may  be  applied  in  con- 
venient sized  heaps  on  the  surface  at  the  rate  of 
fifteen  to  twenty  two-horse  loads  to  the  acre.  Know- 
ing the  condition  of  the  land,  the  owner  can  soon 
decide  the  quantity  necessary.  The  heaps  are  then 
to  be  scattered  evenly  over  the  surface  and  plowed 
under.  There  are  many  intelligent  pear  growers, 
who  merely  apply  the  manure,  and  leave  it  on  the 
surface,  believing  surface  manuring  to  be  the  best 
method  of  application.  With  us  it  has  not  proved 
so,  although  we  have  instituted  numerous  experi- 
ments for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  facts.  In 
nearly  every  instance,  the  results  have  been  in  favor 
of  turning  under  the  manure,  with  the  exception  of 
the  lime  and  ashes.  Our  experiments  were  not  con- 
fined to  a  single  crop,  but  were  tried  with  nearly  all 
our  cultivated  vegetables,  and,  as  I  mentioned  above, 
the  largest  returns  were  from  those  portions  of  the 
ground  where  the  manure  had  been  plowed  under. 

During  March  and  April,  the  compost  may  be 
scattered  on  the  surface  between  the  rows  of  trees, 
and  when  the  soil  is  in  a  condition  to  Ire  'worked ,  in- 


LIQUID   MANURE.  81 

corporated  with  the  surface  soil  with  a  horse  culti- 
vator or  by  means  of  shallow  ploughing.  It  is  too 
often  the  case,  that  the  manure  is  shoveled  close 
around  the  body  of  the  tree.  It  will  take  a  long 
time  before  it  can  be  of  any  use  in  furnishing  the 
tree  with  nourishment,  on  account  of  its  distance 
from  the  rootlets  through  which  the  tree  takes  up 
its  food.  It  should  always  be  borne  in  mind  that,  at 
the  end  of  five  or  six  years  from  the  time  of  plant- 
ing, the  roots  will  extend  several  feet  from  the  body 
of  the  trees,  and  if  they  have  been  set  out  12x15, 
manure  spread  anywhere  on  the  surface  will  come 
in  contact  with  the  roots.  If  profit  is  a  matter  of 
consideration,  then  keep  the  land  in  good  "  heart " 
by  annual  dressings  of  manure,  and  the  outlay  will 
be  returned  ten  fold.  I  have  in  numerous  instances, 
to  single  specimens  at  a  time,  applied  the  manure  in 
a  liquid  form ;  and,  when  care  is  taken.  I  have  not 
the  least  doubt  of  it  being  the  most  economical  and 
best  way.  I  krow  of  one  or  two  cases,  where  y  mng 
trees  have  been  injured  by  the  application  of  large 
quantities  of  liquid  manure  from  the  barn  yard.  It 
should  always  be  diluted  with  four  or  five  times  its 
bulk  of  rain  water,  then  it  may  be  given  in  moderate 
doses  once  at  week  until  the  first  of  August.  If 
the  applications  are  made  much  later  than  this  date, 
the  young' -wood  will  be  succulent  'and  "liable Tfo~  "be 
4* 


82          .  CHARCOAL   BOTTOMS. 

killed  during  the  winter.  Where  this  method  is  to 
be  practiced,  I  would  advise  that  the  ground,  for 
three  or  four  feet  around  the  body  of  the  trees, 
should  be  mulched  with  hay,  straw  or  other  litter. 
This  will  prevent  the  ground  from  baking  and  form- 
ing a  crust  on  the  surface,  besides  it  will  keep  the 
surface  at  an  even  temperature  during  the  growing 
months. 

MULCHING. 

In  any  part  of  the  country  where  charcoal  dust, 
from  locomotives  or  old  charcoal  bottoms,  can  be 
procured  easily,  there  is  no  substance  that  will  make 
a  better  mulch  for  pear  trees.  It  is  a  good  absorbent, 
darkens  the  soil,  and  it  will  retain  ammonia  and 
other  gases  that  assist  in  the  healthy  growth  of  all 
plants.  We  used  this  article  for  mulching  for  many 
years,  and  only  stopped  because  the  source  of  our 
supply  was  cut  off. 

When  the  surface  of  the  ground,  as  far  as  the 
roots  of  young  trees  extend,  is  covered  by  a  mulch- 
ing of  some  material,  one-half  an  inch  in  thickness, 
the  effect  on  the  trees  is  equal  to  a  partial  manuring. 
This  may  readily  be  accounted  for.  In  the  first 
place,  the  heavy  rain  does  not  compact  the  surface, 
but  it  gradually  niters  through  the  mulch;  and 
secondly,  the  surface  soil  is  moist  at  all  times  during 


KEEP   THE    SURFACE    MOIST.  83 

the  summer  months.  I  find  in  our  orchard,  that 
when  the  ground  around  the  trees  has  been  well 
mulched,  not  only  the  growth  of  wood  is  more  uni- 
form but  the  fruit  is  larger.  This,  too,  on  pear  trees 
otherwise  receiving  the  same  treatment.  I  was  so 
convinced  of  this  fact,  that  for  the  past  four  years, 
one  part  of  the  pear  orchard  has  been  kept  covered 
with  hay  the  whole  year,  except  when  removed  to 
apply  the  spring  dressing  of  manure. 

"We  always  procure  an  abundance  of  4<salt  grass" 
from  the  low  meadows  lying  within  one  mile  of 
our  place.  This  we  find  an  excellent  substance  for 
mulching  the  pear  orchard.  During  the  winter  the 
hay  is  carted  home  and  left  in  heaps  in  convenient 
places  until  summer,  when  it  is  spread  over  the 
ground,  about  half  an  inch  in  thickness.  This  serves 
a  three-fold  purpose ;  it  prevents  the  weeds  from 
growing,  and,  as  stated  before,  keeps  the  surface 
moist.  Another  advantage  is,  the  pears  that  drop 
or  are  blown  off  by  heavy  winds  in  the  fall,  are  not 
bruised  and  rendered  unsalable,  as  they  would  be, 
falling  on  ground  without  a  mulch,  especially  if  the 
land  is  stony.  It  is  a  wise  course  to  follow  under  all 
circumstances,  when  material  can  be  obtained.  It 
will  require  about  four  or  five  tons  to  the  acre  the 
first  year ;  each  succeeding  year,  half  that  quantity 
\vill  be  enough,  as  from  one-third  to  one-half  of  the 


84:  THE    LABOR    SAVED. 

old  mulch  can  be  again  used.  The  amount  saved 
in  the  labor  of  keeping  the  ground  clean,  will,  in 
many  cases,  pay  for  the  mulching  material  after  the 
first  year's  outlay,  and  a  much  less  quantity  of  ma- 
nure will  be  necessary  to  keep  the  trees  in  a  healthy 
condition. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

GATHERING    FRUIT. 

s 

THIS  operation  should  be  performed  with  care, 
but  not  until  the  seeds  have  changed  from  a  white 
to  a  brown  color,  and  then  by  raising  the  pear  in  the 
hand  if  it  separates  easily  at  the  end  of  the  stern. 
The  fruit  spurs  or  buds  of  the  pear,  being  already 
developed  for  the  next  season,  if  the  operator  is  not 
very  careful  while  gathering  the  fruit,  many  of  these 
spurs  will  be  broken  oif  and  the  crop  of  the  follow- 
ing year  will  be  thereby  lessened. 

The  whole  of  the  fruit  should  not  be  removed  at 
one  picking,  for  it  seldom  happens  that  it  is  all 
equally  far  advanced.  There  is  generally  a  differ- 
ence of  ten  or  twelve  days  in  the  time  of  maturing 
even  on  the  same  tree. 

Our  method  is  to  go  over  the  orchard  three  or 
four  different  times,  taking  off  only  those  specimens 
that  are  in  condition  to  be  placed  in  the  fruit  room 
or  closet.  With  a  little  practice,  the  eye,  at  once, 
detects  the  pears  that  are  ripe  enough  to  gather. 

Pears  will  always  sell  more  readily  and  bring 


86  PEARS    WITH    STKMS. 

higher  prices  with  stems  than  without  them.  There- 
fore, in  gathering  or  handling  fruit,  this  fact  should 
be  taken  into  consideration. 

Fruit,  as  fast  as  gathered  from  the  tree,  should 
be  placed  in  baskets  by  hand.  If  roughly  handled, 
the  fruit  is  bruised,  and  the  bruised  parts  will  rot 
instead  of  ripening  ;  this,  as  a  matter  of  course,  will 
materially  injure  the  sale  as  well  as  the  quality  of 
the  pears.  If  the  fruit  is  to  be  sold,  it  should  be 
assorted  at  the  time  of  gathering — the  large,  me- 
dium, and  small  sized  should  be  placed  by  them- 
selves, and  immediately  removed  to  the  fruit  room 
or  detention  house ;  the  latter  should  be  dry  and  of 
even  temperature,  not  more  than  fifteen  degrees 
above  the  freezing  point.  Such  a  room  may  be  ar- 
ranged in  the  second  story  of  an  ice-house,  with 
double  doors,  windows,  sides  and  roof,  the  space  be- 
tween need  not  be  filled  with  charcoal,  spent  tan,  or 
other  materials,  for  if  the  parts  are  tight,  it  will  be 
found  that  a  space  of  confined  air  is  the  best  non- 
conductor. 

Fruit  taken  off  in  the  way  described,  will  not 
shrink  by  the  after  evaporation  of  its  moisture.  Nor 
should  it  be  left  on  the  tree  sufficiently  long  to  per- 
mit any  of  the  chemical  changes  constituting  the 
ripening  process,  that  do  not  require  assistance  from 
the  functions  of  the  tree  itself.  Most  fruit  when 


FKUIT    BOOM.  87 

ripened  in  a  fruit  room  is  more  beautiful  in  color, 
has  a  finer  aroma,  and  is  much  richer  in  flavor  than 
if  ripened  on  the  tree. 

When  the  skin  of  the  pear  ceases  in  degree  (as 
it  does  in  the  fruit  room)  to  exercise  those  powers 
which  it  possessed  while  growing,  it  becomes  imper- 
vious, and  all  the  sugar  formed  and  the  flavor  de- 
veloped are  retained.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  pears 
ripened  off  the  tree  are  so  superior  to  those  which 
are  allowed  to  come  to  maturity  on  the  tree. 

The  difference  between  a  detention  room  and  an 
ordinary  fruit  room  should  be  distinctly  understood. 
As  each  kind  of  pear  is  superior  in  quality,  when 
ripened  at  its  own  particular  date,  pears  that  are 
best  in  flavor  and  quality  in  January,  should  not  be 
ripened  in  December.  An  increased  temperature 
will  cause  them  to  ripen  any  time  after  gathering. 
The  detention  room  prevents  premature  ripening, 
and  the  fruit  for  market  may  be  kept  until  such  time 
as  high  prices  may  be  realized.  When  the  propri- 
etor has  no  such  room  to  keep  back  his  pears,  they 
must  be  marketed  soon  after  gathering.  There  are 
so  many  fruit  growers  in  this  position,  that  every 
season  there  is  a  period  with  each  leading  variety, 
when  it  becomes  a  "  drug  in  the  market."  This  is 
especially  true  of  the  Bartlett  and  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme.  Prices  accordingly  fall,  at  times  when 


88  THE    PROPER   DATE    OF    RIPENING. 

the  market  is  overstocked  for  a  few  days,  and  Bart* 
letts  are  frequently  sold  from  $6  to  $9  per  barrel ;  al- 
though two  weeks  later,  the  same  variety  and  quality 
of  fruit  will  bring  readily  from  $16  to  $20  per  bar- 
rel Pear  growers  with  a  limited  amount  of  capi- 
tal can  easily  construct  a  room  on  top  or  on  one  side 
of  an  ice-house,  and  keep  back  a  portion  of  their 
crop.  In  this  way  the  fruit  will  soon  repay  the  out- 
lay for  the  room.  As  to  the  part  intended  for  family 
use : — when  the  proper  date  of  ripening  occurs, 
move  such  as  it  is  desirable  to  ripen  and  place  them 
in  a  warm  room.  The  temperature  of  this  apart- 
ment may  be  regulated  as  desired,  the  higher  the 
temperature,  the  sooner  will  the  fruit  ripen.  "With 
most  varieties  the  slow  process  gives  the  best  results. 
In  the  detention  house,  as  well  as  in  the  fruit  room 
or  cellar,  the  light  should  be  entirely  excluded  from 
the  fruit,  for  on  this  precaution  depend  the  color, 
firmness,  and  in  part  the  flavor.  A  friend  told  me  a 
few  days  ago,  that  he  has  kept  his'  winter  varieties 
with  but  little  trouble  in  the  following  manner: 
The  pears  are  carefully  gathered  from  the  trees  by 
hand,  placed  in  baskets,  and  taken  to  his  cellar.  He 
then  packs  them  in  barrels  or  boxes,  with  alternate 
layers  of  dry  oat  chaff,  until  the  barrel  or  box  is 
filled.  The  head  or  cover  is  put  on  and  left  in  this 
way  for  about  three  weeks,  when  the  pears  are  care- 


1JOW    TO    KEEP    PEAKS.  89 

fully  taken  out  and  the  chaff  exposed  on  a  cold,  dry 
night.  Early  the  next  m  rning  the  fruit  and  cold 
chaff  are  replaced  in  the  barrel  and  put  away  in  the 
cellar  until  it  is  time  to  make  use  of  the  pears.  The 
fruit  may  be  kept  much  later  than  its  proper  date  of 
ripening  by  exposing  the  chaff  three  or  four  times 
during  the  winter  tj  a  severe  frost. 

Buckwheat  or  rye  chaff  will  answer  equally  well 
for  this  purpose.  It  is  neither  necessary  nor  judi- 
cious to  surround  the  fruit  with  cotton,  charcoal, 
sand,  or  other  material.  With  such  treatment  pears 
lose  their  flavor,  and  become  comparatively  valueless ; 
even  unsized  or  absorbent  paper  will  in  a  measure 
have  the  same  injurious  effect  upon  them. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

MARKETING   PEARS. 

THERE  are  many  practical  horticulturists  who 
thoroughly  understand  the  details  of  growing  fruit 
but  they  do  not  fully  appreciate  the  importance  of 
sending  pears  to  market  in  clean,  new  barrels  or 
boxes,  and  in  such  a  manner  that  they  may  surely 
arrive  at  their  destination  in  good  order. 

It  is  a  painful  fact  to  record,  that  the  majority  of 
the  fruit  sent  to  the  New  York  market  arrives  in 
bad  order,  and,  in  most  cases,  it  is  the  fault  of  the 
grower.  One  of  the  partners  of  a  large  fruit  and 
commission  house,  recently  informed  me  that  at 
least  three-quarters  of  the  pears  consigned  to  their 
house,  arrived  in  a  damaged  condition ;  and,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  such  fruit  has  to  be  sold  for  much 
less  than  if  some  care  is  taken  in  selecting  the  bar- 
rels, and  in  assorting  and  packing  in  such  a  way 
that  the  pears  are  not  injured  by  being  shaken  about 
on  the  way  to  market. 

Fruit  does  not  differ  from  other  articles  of  mer- 
chandise, its  good  appearance  goes  a  great  way,  and 


CARELESS    PACKING.  91 

"covers  a  multitude  of  sins."  Choice  specimens 
should  not  be  placed  on  the  top  of  the  barrel ;  for 
purchasers  usually  "  empty  packages,"  and  if  the 
fruit  grows  smaller  in  size  and  inferior  in  quality  as 
the  bottom  is  neared,  every  one  knows  to  what  de- 
cision the  buyer  will  come.  Tjat  brand  will  not  be 
sought  for  by  the  same  party  the  second  time.  On 
the  contrary,  if  the  fruit  is  uniform  in  size  through- 
out the  barrel,  not  only  is  the  same  brand  bought 
igain,  but  JL  becomes  known  in  the  market;  it  will 
always  com  maud  the  highest  price,  and  will  sell 
readily,  when  the  same  kind  of  fruit  carelessly 
packed,  is  comparatively  worthless. 

It  is  not  an  unusual  sight  to  witness  in  the  Xew 
York  market  a  barrel  containing  four  or  five  differ- 
ent varieties  of  pears,  about  as  salable  as  "  Mrs. 
Toodles*  Wheelbarrows"  Large  and  small  varieties, 
fall  and  winter  kinds,  some  with  and  others  without 
stems,  evidently  thrown  into  the  barrel  from  a  bush- 
el basket,  in  the  same  rough  way  as  is  customary  in 
barreling  potatoes  or  corn.  The  greater  part  of  the 
fruit  packed  in  this  way  will  rot  before  ripening,  a 
fact  well  known  by  all  fruit  dealers,  and  it  must  be 
sold  for  anything  offered,  rather  than  have  a  total 
loss. 

Specimens  of  such  fruit  and  packing  can,  at 
almost  any  time,  be  seen  in  passing  through  the  fruit 


92  DISHONEST   DEALINGS. 

market.  I  have  frequently  taken  from  the  same 
package,  from  three  to  six  different  varieties  of 
pears. 

Fruit  dealers  or  commission  men  are  often  ac- 
cused of  dishonest  dealings,  when  the  prices  antici- 
pated by  the  consignor  have  not  been  realized ;  but 
on  examining  a  number  of  such  cases,  to  which  my 
attention  had  been  called,  I  found  that  the  fruit  was 
carelessly  packed  and  not  sorted. 

To  give  some  idea  of  how  little  demand  there  is 
in  market  for  badly  packed  fruit,  I  will  relate  an  in- 
cident, that  came  under  my  observation,  a  few  years 
ago.  While  talking  with  a  fruit  dealer,  he  called 
my  attention  to  a  barrel  of  Duchesse  d'Angouleme 
pears,  which  T  noticed  contained  some  fine  specimens, 
but  the  majority  were  very  poor.  He  said  :  "  I  have 
offered  that  barrel  for  $5,  and  even  at  that  low  price 
no  one  feels  inclined  to  buy  it."  I  suggested  to  him 
to  empty  the  barrel  and  sort  the  fruit,  which  he  did, 
and,  while  I  was  standing  there,  he  sold  a  single 
basket  taken  from  the  barrel  for  five  dollars.  This 
may  illustrate  to  people  not  familiar  with  the  sale  of 
fine  fruit,  the  utter  folly  of  sending  to  market  pears 
not  carefully  sorted  and  packed. 

On  one  occasion,  during  our  early  experience  in 
marketing  pears,  we  sent  to  a  commission  house, 
two  barrels  of  very  choice  Duchesse  d'Angouleme, 


PACKING    PEARS    FOR   MARKET.  93 

packed  in  the  ordinary  way.  I  was  at  the  store 
when  they  arrived.  On  opening  the  barrels,  the 
fruit  had  settled,  and  it  did  not  look  as  well  as  I 
expected.  The  commission  merchant  told  his  man 
to  repack  one  of  the  barrels  for  my  benefit,  and  re- 
quested me  to  wait  and  witness  the  result.  In  fif- 
teen minutes  both  barrels  were  exposed  for  sale. 
Soon  a  buyer  was  on  hand ;  the  repacked  barrel  sold 
readily  for  fifteen  dollars,  while  the  same  person  re- 
fused to  take  the  other  barrel  for  ten  dollars,  although 
in  quality  and  quantity  they  were  alike. 

This  single  instance  taught  me  a  valuable  lesson 
about  packing  pears  for  market. 

In  every  case,  no  matter  how  small  the  quantity 
of  fruit  to  be  sold,  pack  in  clean,  sound  barrels  or 
boxes.  It  is  certainly  poor  economy  to  save  ten 
cents  in  buying  a  second-hand  flour  barrel,  when  you 
are  sure  to  lose  more  than  five  times  that  amount  on 
the  price  of  the  fruit,  by  having  it  packed  in  a  soiled 
barrel  instead  of  a  new  one. 

When  the  fruit  attains  the  proper  stage  of  ripe- 
ness for  shipping,  pick  the  pears  by  hand  and  put 
them  into  baskets.  Then  take  a  barrel,  turn  it  up- 
side down,  and  remove  the  bottom  by  driving  off  the 
hoops.  Place  some  cheap  white  paper  inside  over 
the  lid  and  around  the  sides, — fruit  looks  better 
when  the  barrel  is  thus  lined.  The  pears  are  then 


94  FANCY    FRUIT   DEALER. 

laid  on  their  sides  closely  together,  until  the  top  of 
the  barrel  is  covered.  A  second  layer  is  added,  in 
the  same  way  as  the  first.  Continue  in  this  way 
until  the  barrel  is  one-third  full ;  then  shake  gently 
so  that  the  fruit  will  settle  without  being  bruised. 
This  shaking  should  be  repeated  several  times  until 
the  barrel  is  full,  when  the  pears  should  be  in  such 
a  position  that  the  bottom  of  the  barrel,  when 
pressed  in,  may  come  in  direct  contact  with  the  last 
layer.  The  hoops  should  then  be  put  on,  and  four 
small  nails  driven  through  them,  to  keep  them  and 
the  bottom  in  place.  The  barrel  may  be  marked  1, 
2  or  3,  so  that  the  consignee  may  know  the  quality 
of  the  fruit  without  opening  each  package,  although 
he  should  always  be  advised  by  mail  of  the  number 
of  packages  and  the  quality  of  the  fruit  shipped. 

Vie  send  the  larger  part  of  our  pear  crop  to  mar- 
ket, packed  in  new  half-barrels,  and,  as  a  general 
rule,  it  commands  a  higher  price  in  these  packages, 
especially  if  the  fruit  is  very  choice. 

The  retailer,  fancy  fruit-dealer,  and  hotel  keeper 
buy  these  packages  in  preference  to  the  larger  ones. 
If  half-barrels  are  used,  pack  the  fruit  in  the  same 
manner  as  in  barrels. 

"When  the  cover  is  taken  off  from  pears  packed 
in  this  way,  each  pear  Tcs  close  i:i  position,  the  ap- 
pearance presented  is  inviting  to  the  purchaser,  and 


SENDING    FRUIT   BY    RAILROAD.  95 

the  highest  market  price  can  be  readily  obtained  for 
them.  It  requires  only  a  little  practice  to  become 
quite  expert  in  packing  fruit  in  the  way  described. 
When  baskets  are  used,  they  should  be  lined  with 
white  paper,  and  the  pears  laid  in  carefully.  Shake 
the  basket  gently,  occasionally,  so  that  the  fruit  may 
settle,  and  till  the  basket  a  little  above  the  rim,  then 
put  on  the  covers  and  forward  the  fruit  with  as 
much  care  as  possible  to  its  destination. 

It  is  not  desirable,  however,  to  send  fruit  to  mar- 
ket in  small  baskets,  unless  the  grower  delivers  his 
own  fruit  to  the  dealer.  In  sending  baskets  by  rail- 
road or  steamboat,  the  fruit  will  be  stolen  from  the 
baskets,  and  it  is  a  difficult  undertaking  to  get  re- 
dress from  such  corporations  for  losses  of  fruit. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PROFITS  OF  PEAK  CULTURE. 

DOUBTLESS,  many  persons  fond,  of  horticultural 
pursuits,  would  have  turned  their  attention,  to  and 
invested  capital  in,  pear  culture,  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  bugbear  that  has  been  trumpeted  through 
different  channels  for  years — u  that  in  a  short  time 
there  will  be  so  many  pears  in  market,  you  cannot 
give  them  away."  This  we  have  heard  frequently 
for  the  past  fifteen  years ;  but  the  demand  for  fine 
fruit  and  the  prices  obtained  have  steadily  advanced. 

That  there  have  been  failures  no  one  will  deny, 
and  I  have  no  doubt,  if  we  had  a  true  record  of  all 
who  have  planted  pear  orchards,  there  would  be 
summed  up  three  failures  to  every  success.  This  is 
the  case,  to  the  extent  of  my  own  observations, 
among  pear  growers.  The  trouble  is  not,  that  the 
market  is  overstocked  with  well  grown  pears, — on 
the  contrary,  the  demand  is  more  than  the  supply. 
But  there  are  too  many  persons  who  can  echo  the 
cry  of  the  grower,  who  said  to  me  a  short  time  ago — 
(i  "What  difference  does  it  make  to  me  what  prices 


CAN    PEAKS   BE   GKOWN   SUCCESSFULLY.  97 

choice  fruits  are  selling  for,  when  I  have  none  to 
dispose  of.  My  trees  are  dying  instead  of  bearing." 

This  is  the  case  with  many  orchards  that  were 
planted  ten  or  fifteen  years  ago,  before  many  fruit 
culturists  were  aware  of  the  fact,  that  all  varieties 
will  not  succeed  equally  well  in  the  same  locality, 
but  that  soil  and  climate  exert  an  important  in- 
fluence on  the  vigor  of  the  tree  as  well  as  on  the 
quality  of  the  fruit.  On  our  place,  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  is  one  of  our  leading  kinds.  It  has 
only  failed  to  produce  a  fair  crop,  three  times  in 
fourteen  years.  In  many  other  localities,  this  tree 
grows  well,  blossoms  freely,  but  it  does  not  set  its 
fruit,  and  it  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  very  un- 
certain variety.  Then,  as  I  have  said  before,  the 
quality  of  fruit  grown  in  different  localities,  differs 
very  much.  On  the  clay  soil  of  New  Jersey  the 
fruit  of  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  is  first  quality, 
while  in  many  parts  of  Long  Island  and  of  West 
Chester  Co.,  New  York,  the  quality  is  quite  indif- 
ferent. 

In  a  former  chapter,  I  endeavored  to  point  out 
some  of  the  causes  why  so  many  fail  in  their  at- 
tempts to  grow  pears  with  profit  for  market. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  pears  can  be  grown  suc- 
cessfully and  made  highly  remunerative,  provided 
the  necessary  conditions  are  complied  with.  There 


98  EDUCATE   THE    TASTE. 

are  greater  inducements  offered  to  the  producer  now 
than  ten  years  ago.  The  average  prices  are  highl- 
and the  demand  still  exceeds  the  supply.  Once  or 
twice  within  a  period  of  twelve  years,  pears  have 
been  sold  very  low,  and  although,  at  the  time,  quite 
discouraging  to  the  producer,  still  such  incidents,  to 
use  a  common  phrase,  pay  well  in  the  long  run. 
When  choice  fruit  is  plenty  and  cheap  enough  to  be 
bought  freely  by  all,  the  taste  is  educated,  and  in 
after  years,  this  aquired  taste  has  to  be  satisfied, 
even  at  higher  prices.  Fine  fruit,  especially  pears, 
when  sold  from  $16  to  $30  per  barrel  are  a  luxury 
that  can  only  be  indulged  in  by  the  wealthier  classes. 
But,  like  the  small  fruits,  pears  will  eventually  find 
their  way  to  the  homes  of  the  working  classes.  If 
the  time  should  ever  come  that  one-half  of  the 
amount  now  spent  for  alcoholic  decoctions,  should 
go  for  choice  fruit,  what  a  difference  there  would  be 
in  the  homes  of  many  of  our  poorer  classes,  now 
rendered  almost  desolate  by  the  use  of  intoxicating 
drinks. 

As  a  nation  we  should  use  more  fruit  and  less 
animal  food.  Judging  from  the  rapid  increase  in 
the  consumption  of  small  fruits  within  a  compara- 
tively short  time,  there  is  no  doubt  but  the  demand 
for  pears  will  steadily  keep  paecwi;h  the  supply, 
and  no  reason  to  fear  that  the  markets  will  be  over- 


NEW    YORK    MARKET.  99 

stocked.  If  occasionally  prices  range  low,  or  re- 
ceipts from  the  sale  of  fruits  are  lessened  by  some 
exceptional  cause,  we  should  not  feel  discouraged, — 
similar  occurrences  happen  in  all  branches  of  trade. 
There  are  but  few  merchants  or  manufacturers  who 
have  not  been  compelled,  at  times,  to  sell  their  goods 
below  the  actual  cost.  This  does  not  dampen  their 
enthusiasm,  it  rather  stimulates  their  efforts  to  make 
up  for  bad  seasons. 

The  subjoined  list  of  the  prices  per  barrel,  for 
which  pears  were  sold  in  the  New  York  market  in 
1866,  '67,  '68,  I  obtained  from  a  responsible  fruit 
merchant,  who  kindly  placed  his  sales  books  within 
my  reach ;  thus  enabling  me  to  get  accurate  data  on 
this  important  point.  These  figures  also  show  the 
comparative  market  value  of  the  leading  varieties  of 
pears  for  the  last  three  years.  It  will  be  observed 
that  the  prices  for  1868  averaged  higher  than  the 
two  preceding  years.  This  was,  in  a  measure,  owing 
to  a  partial  failure,  both  of  the  peach  and  pear 
crops,  last  season,  in  the  Eastern  States.  "Where 
there  are  three  prices  per  barrel,  opposite  one  variety, 
such  as  §10  to  $16  and  $25,  the  first  two  apply 
to  the  main  crop,  and  the  third,  to  choice  fruit  of 
extra  size,  or  else  to  a  portion  held  back,  until  the 
chief  supply  was  out  of  market. 


100  BALES   OF   PEARS. 

In  looking  over  the  salss  of  pears  in  the  New 
York  market,  I  find  the  prices  for  summer  varieties, 
are  affected  by  the  peach  crop,  ranging  lower  when 
peaches  are  abundant,  than  they  do,  if  peaches  are 
scarce  and  high.  This  of  course  will  not  influence 
fall  pears,  and  there  is  consequently  less  fluctuation 
in  the  prices  of  the  later  varieties. 

The  accompanying  list  (page  101)  fully  demon- 
strates to  the  fruit  grower  this  important  fact,  that 
the  varieties  most  extensively  cultivated  have  stead- 
ily advanced  in  price.  In  1858  we  sold  Duchesse 
for  $1.50  per  basket,  or  $7.50  per  barrel.  Last  year 
we  sold  them  at  $6  per  basket,  or  $30  per  barrel.  In 
1867  the  same  quality  of  fruit  sold  readily  at  $20  per 
barrel.  That  year  the  crop  was  an  average  one,  ex- 
cept in  a  few  localities. 

When  a  young  orchard  comes  into  bearing — say 
five  years  from  the  time  of  planting — the  trees  will 
produce  from  $50  to  $75  per  acre.  The  trees  at  this 
stage  require  strict  attention ;  some  may  be  inclined 
to  overbear,  others  to  make  too  much  wood.  From 
the  former,  a  part  of  the  fruit  set  should  be  removed 
before  it  attains  the  size  of  a  walnut.  If  too  much 
fruit  is  permitted  to  remain  on  young  trees,  it  will 
take  several  years  of  careful  management  to  repair 
the  damage  done.  When  they  are  making  too  much 
wood,  and  they  are  not  inclined  to  produce  fruit,  a 


PRICES    OF    PEAKS. 


101 


o 

§  I  £  p 

*•  1 


lltl's H 


i 


^2    G 

H     OQ 


PS 


li       I  i 


i       15 

^    o 


O      CC 

r  "r- 


r"r 


00 


t« 


i  i     is 

CfO 


i  i 


OO 


Ct      li 


g§ 


»-ii-*t«»-ktoi«t«i-i 

X      Ct      t<      X      O      O      w«      U) 


102  SALES    OF    FRUIT. 

judicious  method  of  summer  pruning  (described  on 
another  page)  should  be  instituted  to  change  the 
habits  of  the  trees. 

When  the  trees  are  ten  years  old  the  receipts 
should  not  be  less  than  $400  per  acre,  and  there  will 
be  a  steady  increase  in  the  returns,  under  proper 
management,  until  the  trees  have  been  planted  fifteen 
or  sixteen  years,  when  the  receipts  will  be  at  least 
from  $600  to  $800  per  acre,  and  in  many  cases  much 
larger.  When  choice  pears  command  from  $10  to 
$30  per  barrel,  as  they  have  for  the  past  three  or 
four  years,  and  this  with  a  brisk  market,  it  affords 
encouragement  enough  to  induce  horticulturists  to 
make  every  effort  to  produce  the  best  specimens  of 
the  varieties  that  the  market  demands. 

To  give  an  account  of  the  sales  of  fruit  from  our 
entire  orchard  would  be  unsatisfactory,  on  account 
of  the  difference  in  age  of  the  trees,  varying,  as  they 
do,  from  two  to  seventeen  years. 

Ten  years  ago  I  selected  a  single  row  of  thirty 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme  trees,  planted  ten  feet  apart 
in  the  row.  Since  then  I  have  kept  an  accurate  ac- 
count of  the  total  sales  of  pears  from  these  thirty 
trees.  They  are  now  eighteen  years  old,  and  they 
have  produced  seven  crops  in  nine  years.  The  trees 
are  at  present  looking  very  well,  and,  if  we  can  judge 
from  appearances,  they  will  continue  to  be  produc- 


MARKETABLE   FRUIT.  103 

tive  for  many  years.  They,  were  originally  dwarfs, 
but  I  am  quite  confident  they  are  now  standards. 
This  is  true  of  the  majority  of  the  Duchesse  d'An- 
gouleme  trees  in  the  orchard. 

The  following  statement  gives  the   amount  of 
each  year's  sales : 

The  1st  crop,  the  trees  eight  years  old,  $120.00 

"  2d  "  "  "  139.41 

"  3d  "  "  "  156.17 

"  4th  "  "  "  202.28 

"  5th  "  "  "  267.49 

"  6th  "  "  "  310.20 

"  7th  "  "  "  705.00 


Total $1,900.55 

This  row,  two  years  ago,  produced  ninety-four 
bushels  of  marketable  fruit,  which  sold  for  $705. 
There  was  a  scarcity  of  peaches  in  market,  and  pears 
in  consequence  brought  higher  prices  than  usual. 

I  will  state  in  this  connection,  that  this  row  is 
the  oldest  in  our  orchard,  no  other  of  an  equal  num- 
ber of  trees  has  yielded  so  abundantly. 

We  have  single  trees  that  will  yield  more.  In 
1865,  we  sold  from  four  trees,  grafted  only  nine 
years,  $100  worth  of  fruit.  Since  then  we  have 
gathered  from  one  of  these  four  trees,  nineteen 


104  LARGE    PROFIT. 

baskets  of  Bartletts,  and  sold  them  on  the  premises 
for  $2.50  per  peach  basket,  making  $47.50  from  a 
single  tree,  tinder  date  of  August  2d,  18G9,  Dr. 
Sylvester,  of  Lyons,  New  York,  writes  to  me  about 
the  sum  realized  from  forty  Louise  Bonne  de  Jersey 
trees  ten  years  planted.  lie  says : 

"  The  orchard  is  on  one  of  those  ridges  so  com- 
mon in  this  region,  and  has  an  Eastern  aspect. 
These  trees  occupy  four  short  rows,  ten  in  a  row, 
making  forty  trees  in  all,  in  the  orchard.  They 
were  planted  in  1858,  and  were  ten  years  old  at  the 
time  of  the  crop,  which  wTas  in  the  autumn  of  1868. 
The  trees  had  received  good  cultivation,  but  have 
never  been  highly  manured,  as  the  soil,  which  is  a 
gravelly  loam,  is  sufficiently  strong  to  produce  healthy 
trees  with  moderate  fertilizing.  They  were  planted 
ten  feet  each  way  (I  should  now  plant  12  or  14),  and 
hence  do  not  occupy  but  little  ground ;  allowing  for 
live  feet  of  ground  outside  the  ruws,  the  amount  of 
land  is  about  one-eighth  of  an  acre.  The  forty  trees 
produced,  in  1868,  forty  bushels  of  selected  pears, 
which  sold  in  Washington  Market,  New  York,  for 
six  ($6)  dollars  per  bushel,  average  price,  or  $240  for 
the  one  crop,  being  at  the  rate  of  nineteen  hundred 
and  twenty  dollars  per  acre.  These  were  not  selected 
rows,  but  were  all  together,  and  all  the  Louise  Bonne 
de  Jersey  trees  there  were  in  the  orchard ;  and  I  am 


MASY    DRAWBACKS.  105 

pleased  to  j-ay  that  at  the  time  of  writing  this  (Au- 
gust 2d,  1869)  the  same  trees  have  a  fair  crop,  I 
should  estimate  that  there  are  two-thirds  as  many  as 
last  year." 

From  practical  experience,  we  are  thoroughly  con- 
vinced that  pear  culture  can  be  made  to  pay  a  large 
profit,  and  that  it  is  a  safe  investment  when  fruit 
growers  are  willing  to  comply  with  all  the  require- 
ments. We  have  found  it  profitable,  although,  dur- 
ing our  apprenticeship,  we  met  with  many  reverses. 
But,  instead  of  being  discouraged  by  these  draw- 
backs, they  only  incited  extra  efforts  on  our  part. 


CHAPTEE    XY. 

PROPAGATION,   BUDDING   AND    GRAFTING. 

IN  a  purely  practical  work  like  this,  on  the 
"Profits  of  Pear  Culture,"  it  would  be  out  of  place 
to  give  a  detailed  account  of  the  history  of  the  pear ; 
my  intention  has  been  throughout,  to  give  only  such 
facts  as  may  prove  of  value  to  those  about  to  embark 
in  the  business,  or  may  be  of  some  assistance  to  those 
already  engaged  in  it. 

It  is  quite  evident  from  the  facts  stated,  that  no 
fear  need  be  entertained  of  the  markets  being,  at  an 
early  date,  overstocked  with  pears;  but  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  choice  fruit  will  always 
command  paying  prices,  and  that  the  careful  culti- 
vator will  always  be  rewarded  for  his  labor  in  this 
branch  of  horticulture.  As  pear  culture  becomes 
more  systematized  and  the  science  of  growing  trees 
better  understood,  the  introduction  of  any  new  and 
valuable  varieties  will  be  cordially  received  by  the 
horticultural  public  throughout  the  country. 

It  may  justly  be  said  that  "  Young  America"  is 
still  in  her  childhood  in  pear  growing,  for  at  no  time 


ALL    NEW    VARIETIES. 


107 


in  our  history  as  a  nation  has  there  been  greater 
need  of  practical  and  definite  information  on  the 
subject  of  horticulture  than  at  present. 

All  new  varieties  must  be  obtained  by  sowing 
seed  and  waiting  patiently  for  such  seedlings  to  pro- 
duce fruit.  This  was  a  slow  and  tedious  process, 
taking  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  years,  before 
enough  data  could  be  gained,"either  to  recommend 
or  to  discard  a  seedling.  This  length  of  time,  how- 
ever, has  been  overcome,  and  now,  with  the  practi- 
cal application  of  budding,  grafting  and  pruning, 
the  same  results  can  be  secured  in  five  years  that 
formerly  took  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

PEAR  STOCK. — The  established  varieties  are  easily 
multiplied  by  budding  and  grafting.  What  are 
known  as  standards,  are  budded  or  grafted  on  pear 
roots;  and  dwarfs  are  those  worked  on  the  Angers 
Quince  roots,  which  make  a  good  union  with  some 
varieties  of  the  pear. 

Although  pear  suckers  are  sometimes  used  for 
stock,  seedlings  are  always  preferable  for  this  pur- 
pose. The  business  of  growing  seedlings  for  stock 
is  quite  distinct  from  the  general  nursery  trade,  and 
many  who  propagate  pear  trees  on  a  large  scale, 
purchase  their  stock  from  some  one  here,  or  import 
their  yearly  supply. 

In  order  to  grow  healthy  seedlings  for  stock,  the 


108  PACK    IN    MOIST    EAUTH. 

ground  must  be  deep  and  in  "  good  heart,"  not  over 
stimulated  by  putrescent  manures.  Collect  the  seed 
from  the  common  pear,  and  sow  it  in  shallow  drills 
in  April.  During  the  summer  the  surface  of  the 
ground  should  be  kept  loose  and  entirely  free  from 
weeds.  If  not  large  enough  for  transplanting  when 
one  year  old,  the  bed  should  be  mulched  with  salt 
hay,  straw  or  other  litter,  as  a  protection  against  the 
alternate  freezing  and  thawing,  which  often  destroy 
large  numbers  of  seedlings.  In  the  fall  of  the  second 
year,  the  seedlings  may  be  "lifted"  carefully,  and 
the  roots  with  a  portion  of  the  body  packed  in  moist 
sand  or  earth,  and  placed  in  a  cellar  until  spring, 
when  they  should  be  transplanted  into  the  nurserv. 
The  plants  are  to  be  set  about  a  foot  apart  in  the 
row,  and  the  rows  three  to  three  and  a  half  feet 
apart. 

By  the  first  of  August,  the  bark  will  separate 
readily  from  the  wood,  and  the  stock  may  then  be 
budded  with  such  varieties  as  are  wanted. 

The  buds  should  be  taken  from  young  healthy 
trees.  An  active  person  will  set  from  2  to  3,000 
buds  in  ten  hours  with  another  person  to  follow  and 
tie. 

The  branches  of  buds  are  cut  from  the  growing 
trees  and  trimmed  as  seen  in  Fig.  10.  The  operator 
then  cuts  off  six  or  eight  buds  at  a  time,  and  places 


i!  i 


PIG.    11. 


FIG.    12. — A  BUD. 
PIG.    10.  —  BRAKCH  OF   BUDS. 


110 


HOW    TO    FASTKN    A    BUD. 


them  between  his  lips,  thus  leaving  both  hands  free 
to  use  the  budding  knife.  The  incision  in  the  stock 
is  made  in  the  form  of  a  T,  the  bark  is  separated  by 
pushing  down  the  ivory  part  of  the  knife,  opening 
both  sides  of  the  cut  at  once.  This  I  find  an  im- 
provement on  the  old  fashioned  knife,  which  requires 
two  movements  to  do  what  can  be  done  in  one  with 
the  knife  as  seen  in' Fig.  11. 

The   part  of   the   bud   that  ^i 
projects  above  the  cross  incision 
can  be  cut  oif. 

The  bud  is  then  fastened  by 
wrapping  around  the  stock  above 
and  below  the  eye  a  narrow  band 
of  bass  matting. 

In  the  orchard,  on  large  trees, 
to  change  the  variety,  I  have, 
instead  of  grafting,  frequently 
inserted,  during  the  month  of 
August,  scions  three  inches  long. 
The  scion  is  beveled  on  one  side 
and  pressed  into  an  incision 
made  in  the  branch  (Fig.  13), 
and  fastened  the  same  as  in  bud- 
ding. It  might  be  termed  sum- 
mer grafting.  In  the  following 
February  or  March,  in  case  the  FIG  18 


ANGERS    QUINCE.  Ill 

bud  or  scion  has  "  taken,"  the  stock  is  cut  off  just 
above  where  the  bud  was  inserted,  making  the  cut 
on  the  opposite  side  from  the  bud.  In  the  ensuing 
May,  the  eye  will  push  forth,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  growing  season,  the  young  tree  will  consist  of  a 
single  upright  shoot,  as  described  in  the  chapter  on 
pruning. 

DWARFS. — The  Angers  Quince  is  the  best  vari- 
ety yet  known  for  dwarfing  the  pear.  It  has  been 
extensively  used  in  this  country  for  the  past  twenty 
years.  But  as  little  or  no  discrimination  was  ex- 
ercised about  the  varieties  of  pears  to  which  it  is 
really  adapted,  it  has  failed  to  give  satisfaction  in 
many  localities  and  now  its  condemnation  is  as 
severe  as  its  former  laudation  was  extravagant. 

This  variety  of  quince  is  propagated  for  nursery 
purposes  by  layers  and  cuttings.  The  latter  are 
made  about  eighteen  inches  long,  and  set  out  thickly 
in  rows.  When  one  year  old,  they  are  "  lifted  "  and 
planted  in  the  nursery  and  treated  in  the  same  way 
as  described  for  pear  seedlings.  The  quince  stock 
is  more  easily  propagated  than  the  pear,  it  is  more 
certain  to  "  take,"  and  it  is  therefore  a  favorite  stock 
in  the  nursery. 

In  budding  the  quince  stock  with  the  pear,  from 
ninety  to  ninety-five  per  cent,  of  the  buds  will  grow, 
but  of  many  varieties  of  pear,  budded  on  their  own 


112  WORTHLESS    VARIETIES. 

stock,  not  more  than  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  buds  will 
take  the  first  season. 

GRAFTING.— There  are  few  persons,  indeed,  who 
have  planted  pears,  either  in  the  garden  or  orchard, 
who  have  not  been  compelled,  sooner  or  later,  to 
learn  the  simple  art  of  grafting,  that  they  may  be 
able  to  make  such  changes  in  varieties  as  experience 
dictates.  This  operation  is  all  important  to  the 
wide-awake  orchardist,  in  order  to  substitute  profit- 
able for  worthless  varieties,  with  the  loss  of  as  little 
time  as  possible.  There  is  nothing  more  discour- 
aging to  the  fruit  grower,  after  having  waited  ten  or 
a,  dozen  years,  than  to  find  it  necessary  to  put  a  new 
head  on  his  trees  before  getting  any  returns.  But, 
under  the  circumstances,  it  is  the  only  choice  left. 

There  are  many  methods  of  grafting  practised  in 
thio  country.  We  have  adopted  in  our  orchard  cleft 
grafting ;  for  large  stocks  I  prefer  it  to  the  other 
modes. 

In  the  latitude  of  New  York,  we  commence 
grafting  the  pear  about  the  first  of  April,  and  con- 
tinue through  the  month.  On  large  trees,  we  graft 
about  one-half  of  the  top  the  first  season,  and  the 
balance  in  the  spring  of  the  second  and  third  years. 

The  branches  are  sawed  off  about  twelve  or 
eighteen  inches  from  the  body  of  the  tree,  and  the 
top.  of  the  stock  made  smooth  with  a  sharp  knife, 


INSERTING    SCIONS.  113 

The  stock  is  then  split  in  the  center,  by  means  of  a 
large  knife  with  a  broad  back,  ten  or  twelve  inches 
long,  beveled  on  both  sides.  The  knife  is  struck 
with  a  wooden  mallet,  splitting  the  stock  two  or 
three  inches.  A  wedge  is  then  placed  in  the  center 
of  the  stock  until  the  scions  are  prepared  and  pressed 
in  place,  when  the  wedge  is  withdrawn.  The  stock 
immediately  closes  on  the  scions  and  keeps  the  grafts 
firmly  in  place. 

CLEFT  GRAFTING. — When  inserting  the  scions, 
their  inner  bark  should  correspond  to  that  of  the 
stock.  Then  cover  the  top  of  the  stock  and  both 
sides,  with  grafting  wax.  In  two  weeks  the  buds  of 
the  scions  will  begin  to  swell,  and  will  frequently 
make  five  or  six  feet  of  wood  the  first  year.  During 
the  summer,  in  consequence  of  cutting  off  a  portion 
of  the  top  of  the  tree,  a  number  of  young  shoots 
will  start  from  the  old  stock.  These  should  be  re- 
moved ;  if  allowed  to  remain,  they  will  materially 
injure  the  growth  of  the  scions.  The  scions  should 
be  cut  back  the  following  spring,  so  that  they  will 
throw  out  side  shoots,  near  the  union,  and  form  a 
stocky  and  symmetrical  head. 

WHIP  GRAFTING. — This  method,  although  not 
often  made  use  of  in  the  orchard,  is  very  common 
with  nurserymen  for  grafting  seedling  stocks.  These 
are  lifted  in  the  fall  and  heeled  in.  During  the 


GRAFTING    WAX.  115 

winter  the  scions  are  prepared,  the  stocks  grafted, 
and  carefully  packed  away  with  inoist  earth  or  sand, 
until  they  are  planted  in  the  open  ground  the  follow- 
ing spring.  If  they  grow  well,  the  nurseryman 
gains  one  year  over  budding.  The  stocks  and 
scions  must  be  prepared  and  put  together  with  great 
care.  They  are  fastened  by  winding  around  the 
stock  narrow  strips  of  strong  paper  or  muslin, 
coated  with  grafting  wax  and  well  secured. 

GRAFTING  WAX. — A  neighbor,  who,  for  the  past 
twenty  years,  has  been  very  successful  in  grafting  in 
this  vicinity,  makes  his  own  grafting  wax.  He  uses 
the  following  materials,  in  the  relative  proportion 
named : 

4  Ibs.  white  rosin. 

1    "     bees  wax. 

1  pint  of  linseed  oil. 

These  substances  are  put  into  an  iron  vessel  and 
heated  until  they  can  be  thoroughly  mixed  by  stir- 
ring. The  compound  is  then  thrown  into  cold  water, 
and  worked  by  hand  in  a  similar  manner  to  drawing 
molasses  candy. 

At  first  the  wax  will  be  dark  brown,  but  when 
sufficiently  worked  the  color  changes  to  a  light  yel- 
low. The  wax  is  then  formed  into  round  sticks, 
three  or  four  inches  in  length  and  one  in  diameter. 
~t  may  be  kept  in  water  until  wanted  for  use. 


116  VEXATIOUS    MOMENTS. 

For  late  grafting,  four  and  a  half  pounds  of  rosin 
should  be  used,  to  prevent  the  -wax  softening  under 
a  hot  sun  when  first  applied. 

Before  handling  the  wax,  either  in  making  it  or 
in  grafting,  the  operator  should  oil  his  hands,  or  else 
he  will  experience  some  vexatious  moments  in  the 
endeavor  to  get  rid  of  this  tenacious  substance.  I 
have  used  this  kind  of  grafting  wax  for  ten  years, 
and  I  can  vouch  for  its  superior  quality  for  orchard 
purposes.  Wax  made  from  the  above  receipt  is 
worked  with  ease  in  cold  weather,  it  stands  the  heat 
of  the  sun  very  well,  and  is  much  superior  in  these 
respects  to  wax  made  with  tallow  instead  of  linseed 
oil.  When  tallow  is  used,  the  mixture  is  more 
sticky,  for  this  reason  many  nurserymen  prefer  it  in 
coating  paper  or  muslin  for  whip  grafting,  described 
in  another  place. 


CHAPTEE    XVI. 

PRACTICAL    SUGGESTIONS. 

TREES  GIRDLED  BY  FIELD  MICE. — How  TO  SAVE 
THEM. — The  obstacles  with  which  the  practical  hor- 
ticulturist has  to  contend  are  numerous.  If  he 
wishes  his  orchards  to  produce  paving  crops  of  fruit, 
he  must  be  constantly  on  the  alert,  bestowing  care 
on  this  or  that  tree,  removing  a  branch  from  another, 
using  the  pruning  knife  for  some  special  object, 
either  to  retard  or  encourage  growth  in  a  certain 
direction.  The  labor  is  not  at  all  times  arduous,  but 
constant  watchfulness  is  required,  and  sound  knowl- 
edge of  the  business,  before  the  thousand  and  one 
annoyances  that  are  constantly  occurring  can  be 
overcome. 

No  experience  of  the  horticulturist  is  so  dismal 
or  discouraging  as  when,  entering  his  orchard  soon 
after  snow  disappears  in  the  spring,  he  finds  that  his 
trees  are  badly  injured — many  fatally  so — by  the 
ravages  of  those  abominable  pests,  the  field  mice. 

The  winters  of  1867  and  1868  were  the  most 
severe,  and,  in  many  respects,  the  most  remarkable, 


118  FIELD   MICE. 

known  in  this  section  for  many  years.  From  early 
in  December,  snow-storms  followed  each  other  at 
short  intervals,  usually  accompanied  by  heavy  wind, 
in  certain  places  drifting  and  piling  up  the  snow 
several  feet  high.  About  the  first  of  March  nearly 
all  our  pear  orchard  lay  under  a  bed  of  snow  five 
feet  in  depth,  a  part  of  which  remained  on  the 
ground  until  the  beginning  of  April.  When  the 
surface  was  clear,  I  soon  found,  on  examination,  evi- 
dence of  the  activity  of  these  mice.  Forty-one  pear 
trees  were  injured — some  half  way  round  the  body, 
others  had  but  a  narrow  connection  of  bark  left — 
and,  to  my  great  dismay,  twenty-six  trees,  for  which 
I  would  not  have  entertained  an  offer  of  $500,  were 
completely  girdled.  There  were  a  number  barked 
two  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  some 
of  the  main  branches  were  eaten  badly. 

Under  the  circumstances,  it  was  imperative  that 
something  should  be  done.  If  left  as  they  were,  the 
trees  could  not  survive.  From  each  of  them  the 
bark  had  been  most  effectually  removed,  leaving  a 
bare  place  of  wood  twelve  inches  wide. 

Some  years  ago,  in  hunting  up  horticultural  curi- 
osities, I  found,  to  my  surprise,  on  the  farm  of  John 
Brill,  near  Newark,  a  large  cherry  tree,  about  ten 
inches  in  diameter,  that,  when  young,  had  been 
girdled,  and  in  which  he  had  inserted  three  scions  in 


A   GIRDLED   TREE. 


119 


an  upright  position.  The  tree  was  living  and  look- 
ing perfectly  healthy.  It  was  supported  on  three 
short  columns,  with  the  portion  of  the  body  that  had 
been  girdled,  dead  and  removed,  thus  leaving  an 
opening  in  the  trunk  of  the  tree  between  the  col- 
umns. 

Remembering  the  successful  experiment  with  the 
cherry  tree,  I  now  set  to  work ;  pr3pared  the  scions 
by  beveling  them  on  the  same  side  at  both  ends,  and 
with  a  budding  knife  made  an  opening  both  on  the 
upper  and  lower  edges  of  the  bark.  In  each  tree 
that  was  completely  girdled,  I  inserted  three  scions, 
and  where  there  was  a  small  connection  of  bark  left, 
I  inserted  one  scion.  I  fastened  them  by  a  band, 


FIG.    16. 


120  KEEP  THE  BARK  CLEAN. 

the  same  as  is  used  in  budding,  and  then  put  on 
some  grafting  wax,  so  that  the  air  would  be  excluded 
where  the  ends  of  the  scions  were  inserted.  The 
adjoining  cut  is  an  accurate  drawing  of  one  of  these 
girdled  trees  at  the  end  of  the  first  season.  Thero 
were  three  scions  inserted  in  this  tree.  By  this  sim- 
ple means,  every  one  of  the  trees  were  saved,  and  to- 
day  they  look  as  healthy  and  vigorous  as  any  in  the 
orchard.  On  this  occasion,  however,  I  found  that 
the  trees  injured  were  those  growing  in  or  near 
grass,  and  although  I  could  trace  the  paths  of  the 
mice  in  diiferent  parts  of  the  orchard,  no  tree  that 
stood  in  plowed  ground  had  been  touched. 

The  knowledge  of  this  fact  I  consider  valuable. 
In  the  future  I  will  keep  the  surface  of  the  ground 
entirely  free  from  grass. 

A  WASH  FOE  PEAR  TREES.— It  has  been  re- 
marked by  a  close  observer  of  human  nature,  that 
the  moral  tone  of  a  community  can  readily  be  esti- 
mated from  a  knowledge  of  the  amount  of  soap 
used  therein. 

It  may  be  said  with  equal  propriety,  that  the 
health  and  fruitfulness  of  a  pear  orchard  depends  to 
a  great  extent  on  the  cleanliness  of  the  bark.  To 
preserve  an  orchard  in  vigor  and  health,  the  bark 
must  be  kept  clean.  The  growth  of  moss  and  fungi 
on  the  body  and  branches  of  a  fruit  tree  indicates 


POTASH    WASH. 


121 


an  unhealthy  condition,  besides  affording  a  covering 
for  its  insect  enemies.  When  the  bark  is  kept  clean 
and  smooth,  they  are  forced  to  find  shelter  else- 
where. 

For  many  years  we  have  used  a  wash  made  by 
dissolving  one  pound  of  caustic  potash  in  one  gallon 
of  water.  This  is  applied  to  the  trees  with  a  brush, 
in  the  latter  part  of  March  or  any  time  in  April,  be- 
fore the  trees  come  into  leaf.  Two  applications  of 
this  solution  will  cleanse  the  bark  thoroughly.  On 
large  and  old  trees  that  have  been  neglected,  it  is 
better  to  scrape  the  bark  before  applying  the  wash. 
There  is  no  great  amount  of  time  required  for  the 
operation  ;  one  man,  with  a  pail  and  brush,  can  wash 
the  bodies  and  some  of  the  main  branches  of  from 
150  to  200  trees  in  a  day.  One  application  in  April 
will  effectually  remove  the  aphis  or  bark  louse. 
Care  should  be  exercised  in  washing  the  trees,  not  to 
touch  the  young  buds  or  twigs,  as  it  may  kill  them. 

"We  have  also  used  the  u  soda  wash,"  made  by 
dissolving  one  pound  of  caustic  soda  in  one  gallon 
of  water.  This  is  less  powerful  than  the  potash 
wash.  It  may  be  applied  to  any  part  of  the  fruit 
trees  without  injury  to  the  young  buds.  Both  of 
these  washes  are  excellent  for  cleansing  the  bark  of 
all  kinds  of  fruit  trees.  Whitewash  is  sometimes 
used  as  a  wash  on  fruit  trees.  It  is  better  under  all 


122  THE  BLIGHT. 

circumstances,  to  apply  the  lime  direct  to  the  soil, 
and  use  either  the  potash  or  soda  for  cleansing  pur- 
poses. As  it  requires  TOO  quarts  of  water  to  dissolve 
one  quart  of  lime,  if  used  as  a  whitewash,  it  simply 
forms  a  paste,  which  will  fill  the  pores  of  the  bark 
and  do  more  injury  than  good. 

THE  BLIGHT. — This  alarming  disease,  that  has 
made  such  havoc  among  the  pear  trees  in  some  sec- 
tions, made  its  first  appearance  in  our  orchard  four 
years  ago.  During  this  time  we  have  had  twenty- 
nine  cases,  fourteen  of  which  have  proved  fatal,  the 
others  are  now  rapidly  recovering  from  the  effects. 
With  us,  this  disease  has  been  partial  to  certain 
varieties.  For  instance,  out  of  the  twenty-nine,  six- 
teen were  Glout  Merceau,  four  Flemish  Beauty,  four 
Yicar  of  Winkfield,  three  Belle  Lucrative,  and  two 
Louise  Bonne  de  Jersey.  Another  singular  fact  in 
this  connection  is,  that  twenty-three  of  these  trees 
were  growing  in  the  same  section  of  the  orchard, 
quite  near  each  other,  on  low  and  naturally  wet 
land.  I  do  not  believe,  however,  that  the  character 
of  the  soil  or  situation  engenders  this  disease. 

Our  plan  has  been,  the  instant  any  tree  showed 
signs  of  being  affected,  to  saw  or  cut  off  the  branches 
or  main  stem,  six  or  eight  inches  below  where  the 
disease  appeared.  When  the  branches  injured  were 
large,  we  have  put  in  some  scions  the  following 


I 
INSECTS.  123 

spring.  This  treatment  has  been  in  a  measure  suc- 
cessful— saving  more  than  half  the  trees  attacked. 
The  diseased  wood  was  at  once  removed  from  the 
orchard  and  burned.  Among  the  trees  badly  in- 
jured or  killed  by  the  blight  were  some  of  the  most 
vigorous  in  the  orchard,  giving  no  outward  indica- 
tions of  an  unhealthy  condition.  In  some  cases  the 
whole  top  of  the  tree  was  instantly  killed  as  if  by  a 
stroke  of  lightning.  To  the  practical  orchardist  this 
disease  is  in  every  way  most  alarming. 

INSECTS. — To  protect  fruit  trees  from  their  insect 
enemies  requires  constant  watchfulness  at  certain 
periods  of  the  season. 

The  work  is  not  laborious,  but  calls  for  prompt 
action.  For  the  last  four  years  the  common  tent 
caterpillar  has  given  us  more  trouble  in  the  orchard 
than  any  other  insect.  Unless  instant  measures  are 
taken  to  destroy  them  on  their  first  appearance,  they 
soon  make  sad  havoc  with  the  foliage.  The  quickest 
and  most  effectual  way  to  prevent  their  ravages,  is 
to  go  over  the  orchard  carefully  in  winter,  and  re- 
move the  eggs,  which  will  be  found  deposited  near 
the  ends  of  the  young  brandies  and  twigs.  These 
eggs  are  protected  by  a  glutinous  substance  which 
makes  a  rough  looking  surface  that  can  be  readily 
distinguished  when  the  trees  are  bare  of  foliage.  If 
any  of  these  nests  escape  the  notice  of  the  operator, 


ftp 
124  CUBCDLIO. 

then  in  the  spring,  when  the  young  caterpillars 
make  their  first  appearance  in  weaving  their  tents, 
instant  measures  should  be  taken  for  their  destruc- 
tion. Practically  I  find  the  best  way  to  destroy 
these  pests,  is  to  remove  the  tents  by  hand,  crush- 
ing the  caterpillars  at  the  same  time.  This  can  be 
done  with  or  without  a  buck-skin  glove.  I  have 
tried  all  other  methods  recommended,  and  consider 
this  best. 

The  most  effectual  and  easy  way  to  fight  the 
curculio  with  pears,  is  to  have  the  pear  trees  vigorous 
and  healthy  by  keeping  the  ground  in  good  heart. 
For  a  number  of  years  I  have  noticed  that  on  strong 
healthy  trees  the  pears  very  soon  outgrow  the  cres- 
cent mark  of  the  curculio,  while  on  weak  or  sickly 
trees  the  fruit  is  usually  disfigured,  and  worthless 
for  market  purposes.  However,  all  such  I  remove 
from  the  trees  at  once,  and  also  allow  none  that  drop 
off  to  remain  on  the  ground  longer  than  twelve 
hours  before  being  gathered,  and  taken  to  the  hog 
pen.  The  safest  method  is  to  endeavor  to  keep  the 
bearing  trees  healthy,  and  to  remove  at  once  all  dis- 
figured and  worm-eaten  fruit,  whether  found  on  the 
tree  or  ground. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

OECHARD   BECOBD. 

COMPABATTVELY  few  persons  start  a  record  of  the 
names  of  their  trees  or  their  relative  position  in  the 
garden  or  orchard  at  the  time  of  planting.  Every- 
body who  plants  trees  intends  to  make  such  memo- 
randa, but  it  is  put  off  and  finally  forgotten,  until 
the  labels  fastened  on  by  the  nurseryman  are  de- 
faced by  exposure.  Then  the  tree  is  without  a  name, 
unless  somebody  recognizes  the  variety  and  satisfies 
the  owner,  who  is  most  anxious  to  learn  the  name  of 
the  fruit  and  its  date  of  ripening. 

The  subjoined  orchard  record  is  very  simple,  and 
will  be  found  of  practical  value  to  the  fruit  grower. 

It  is  intended  that  each  variety  should  be  repre- 
sented by  a  number  (for  instance,  let  the  Bartlett  be 
represented  by  1,  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  by  2, 
Seckel  by  3,  and  so  on),  and,  by  affixing  the  names 
of  pears  to  the  numbers  designating  the  rows,  we 
accomplish  a  double  purpose.  Of  course,  whenever 
the  same  number  occurs  in  any  other  row,  the  vari- 
ety is  recognized  at  once  by  referring  to  the  same 


126  ORCHARD   RECORD. 

number  in  the  side  column  of  the  page  which  indi- 
cates the  rows. 

On  the  upper  side  of  the  table  we  simply  have  a 
row  of  consecutive  figures — 1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  etc. — so  as 
to  be  able  to  find  at  once  the  1st,  2d,  3d,  4th  or  5th 
tree  in  any  row.  For  instance,  if  4  be  the  represent- 
ative figure  of  the  Seckel,  then  finding  a  4  in  the 
square  vertically  numbered  7  and  horizontally  desig- 
nated by  8,  we  can  at  any  time  tell  by  consulting  the 
table  that  the  Yth  tree  in  the  8th  row  of  our  orchard 
is  a  4  (or  Seckel).  If  this  Seckel  should  prove  a 
failure  and  we  decide  to  substitute  a  Bartlett  (or  1), 
then,  by  crossing  off  the  4  in  our  table  and  putting 
in  1  in  the  same  square,  we  ever  afterwards  may  see 
at  a  glance  that  the  Yth  tree  in  the  8th  row  is  a  Bart- 
lett instead  of  a  Seckel,  which  has  been  removed. 

The  same  system  of  recording  a  change  of  sorts 
holds  good  in  the  case  of  grafting,  budding,  etc.,  etc. 


ORCHARD   RECOBD. 


127 


128 


ORCHARD   RECORD, 


NAMES 

! 

1 
|2 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

2122!23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

2S 

30 

— 

3 

4 

|5 

|6 

7, 

— 

!  8 

- 
10 

11 

12 

13 

la 
17 

18 
19 

| 

20 

21| 
22 

23 

24 

1 

ORCHARD    RECORD. 


NAMES. 

I 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

37 

38 

39 

40 

41 

42 

43 

44 

45 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

0 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

.21 

22 

23 

In 

130 


ORCHARD   RECORD. 


4849505152535455 


131 


132 


ORCHARD   RECORD. 


NAMES. 

1 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

25 

26 

27 

28 
29 

30 

31 

32 

—  • 

33 
34 

— 

— 

— 

—  . 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

35 

36 

37 

38 

39 

_ 

— 

40 
41 

— 

— 

42 

: 

43 

44 

45 
46 

47 

48 

ORCHARD   RECORD. 


/ORCHAI 


133 


KAXXS. 

Ill 

617 

181920 

2122232425 

26 

27 

2829 

30 

25 
26 
27" 

1 

— 



__ 

— 

_ 

_ 

— 

— 

28 

29 

| 

| 

30 

i 

31 

32 

I 

33 

34 

! 

~ 

35 
36 

i 

— 

37 

38 

— 

39 
40 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

41 

42 

47 

48" 

i 

! 

- 

! 

— 

i 

| 

134 


ORCHARD    R 


J.F 

ECORD. 


NAMES. 

8 

31 

32333435 

363738 

3940 

41 

42 

43 

44 

45 

25 
26 

27 

... 

28 

! 

29 

30 

31 

32 

33 

— 

— 

— 

34 

35 

36 

37 

38 
39 
40 
41 

| 

! 

! 

42 
43 
44 

i 

| 

45 

46 
47 

48 

j 

| 

BECOED. 


135 


UAMZS.   f 

46 

47 

484950 

51525354 

55 

56 

57 

585960 

25 

_ 

-i 

20 
27 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

28 

29 

30 

— 

31 

32 

— 

— 

33 

34 

33 
36 
37 

— 

— 

— 

— 

.  — 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

38 

39 

40 
41 
42 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

43 

44 

— 

45 
46 

— 

—  : 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

47 

. 

48 

I  1 

136 


ORCHARD   R 


ECOlfe: 


: 


